Relationship of Echocardiographic Epicardial Fat Thickness and Epicardial Fat Volume by Computed Tomography with Coronary Artery Calcification: Data from the CAESAR Study

Abstract

Background and aims: No study has assessed the association between echocardiographic epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and computed tomography (CT)-based epicardial fat volume (EFV) and coronary artery calcification. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between EFT and EFV and coronary artery calcification.

Methods: Among the 2,299 individuals enrolled in the CArdiometabolic risk, Epicardial fat, and Subclinical Atherosclerosis Registry (CAESAR) study, 2,276 (1,851 men; mean age 45 ± 8.9 years) who underwent echocardiographic EFT and CT-based EFV measurements and obtained a coronary artery calcium score (CACS) were included in this study.

Results: The overall prevalence of CAC >0 was 19.3%. EFT was significantly correlated with EFV (r = 0.374, p <0.001) but the k statistic showed only slight agreement (k = 0.146, p <0.001). Multivariate regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, daily alcohol intake, smoking status, and vigorous exercise and glucose, blood urea nitrogen, uric acid, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-sensitivity C reactive protein, and hemoglobinA1c levels revealed that an increase in the absolute values of EFT and EFV was significantly associated with the presence of coronary artery calcium (ORs [95% CIs], 2.023 [1.282-3.193] and 1.785 [1.173-2.716], respectively) and CACS (standardized β values = 0.082 and 0.061, p = 0.001 and 0.042, respectively).

Conclusion: These results show that EFT and EFV are associated with coronary artery calcification in Korean adults despite the relatively weak correlation between EFT and EFV.

Keywords: Computed tomography; Coronary artery calcification; Coronary calcium; Echocardiography; Epicardial adipose tissue; Epicardial fat thickness; Epicardial fat volume.