Nogradi A, et al. - Researchers examined 70 systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients (age 57±12 years) by using 2D speckle tracking technique in order to determine abnormalities of the right atrial (RA) function, relative to healthy subjects, and to evaluate the potential associations between RA mechanics and the functional capacity in these subjects. They found that SSc compared with healthy subjects had impaired RA reservoir and conduit, but increased RA stiffness. They also identified speckle tracking-derived RA stiffness as one of the main determinants of functional capacity in SSc patients.