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. 2010 Nov;213(1):279-87.
doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2010.07.055. Epub 2010 Aug 10.

Association of epicardial adipose tissue with coronary atherosclerosis is region-specific and independent of conventional risk factors and intra-abdominal adiposity

Tzung-Dau Wang  1 , Wen-Jeng Lee, Fuh-Yuan Shih, Chien-Hua Huang, Wen-Jone Chen, Yuan-Teh Lee, Tiffany Ting-Fang Shih, Ming-Fong Chen
Affiliations

Association of epicardial adipose tissue with coronary atherosclerosis is region-specific and independent of conventional risk factors and intra-abdominal adiposity

Tzung-Dau Wang et al. Atherosclerosis. 2010 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: To elucidate which measurement of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) best reflects its atherogenic risk, we examined the associations between different EAT measurements and various atherosclerotic parameters of the entire coronary tree and individual coronary arteries.

Methods: This study included 224 consecutive patients underwent multidetector computed tomography before diagnostic coronary angiography. Regional thickness, cross-sectional areas, and total volume of EAT were measured. Four atherosclerotic parameters, including severity score, extent score, calcium volume score, and number of coronary arteries with ≥50% luminal stenosis, of the entire coronary tree and individual coronary arteries were assessed.

Results: Both total EAT volume and thickness of EAT in the left atrioventricular groove were unanimously associated with the presence of coronary atherosclerosis dichotomously defined by the 4 scoring systems. However, only EAT thickness in the left atrioventricular groove, but not total EAT volume, was significantly associated with all 4 parameters of coronary atherosclerosis in a dose-dependent manner, even after adjustments for conventional risk factors, body-mass index, waist circumference, C-reactive protein, and intra-abdominal visceral fat area. Using the receiver-operating-characteristic analysis, 12.2mm was the optimal cutoff point for left atrioventricular groove thickness to predict the presence of significant coronary stenosis (≥50% diameter stenosis). Among the three coronary arteries, left atrioventricular groove thickness was most strongly correlated with ≥50% diameter stenosis in the embedded left circumflex artery by multivariate regression model.

Conclusions: Thickness of EAT in the left atrioventricular groove provides a more accurate assessment of its atherogenic risk and is therefore a better coronary risk factor than total EAT volume.

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