Relations of epicardial adipose tissue measured by multidetector computed tomography to components of the metabolic syndrome are region-specific and independent of anthropometric indexes and intraabdominal visceral fat.

Description

This study sought to examine the relationships between various multidetector computed tomography measurements of epicardial adipose tissue, metabolic syndrome components, including C-reactive protein (CRP), and adipokines (adiponectin, leptin and resistin) in 148 consecutive patients (126 men and 22 women). Subcutaneous and intra-abdominal (visceral) adipose tissue areas were also measured in a subsample of 70 randomly selected patients. Only thickness of the left atrioventricular groove was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome components (blood pressure, lipid and glucose parameters) and resistin and CRP levels after adjusting for age and sex. Furthermore, additional adjustments for body mass index, waist circumference and intra-abdominal fat did not alter these associations. These findings suggest that measurement of the left atrioventricular groove may provide further information for the estimation of metabolic risk associated with ectopic fat deposition.