Association of pericoronary fat volume with atherosclerotic plaque burden in the underlying coronary artery: a segment analysis.
OBJECTIVE
We aimed to determine, whether the amount of local pericoronary fat volume is associated with the presence of plaque burden in the underlying coronary artery segment.


METHODS
We assessed 311 coronary segments from ECG-gated contrast-enhanced dual-source computed tomography for presence of plaque as well as segmental pericoronary fat volume. For pericoronary fat evaluation, regions of interest were manually traced containing any fat surrounding a coronary artery segment, with the myocardial wall, the pericardial sac and other coronary segments as outer border.


RESULTS
Per each doubling of pericoronary fat volume, we observed an 2.5-fold increase in the presence of plaque in the underlying coronary segment in unadjusted models (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.87-3.27, p<0.001), which remained after adjustment for traditional cardiovascular risk factors (odds ratio [OR] 3.07 [2.16-4.35], p<0.001) and when additionally accounting for overall pericardial fat volume (OR 2.68 [1.90-3.79], p<0.001). Associations were similar in all coronary artery segments and not related to the type of plaque (calcified or non-calcified, p<0.01 for all).


CONCLUSIONS
Pericoronary fat is associated with atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries. Our results support the hypothesis that perivascular fat depots may function as a local endocrine risk factor in atherosclerosis development.
Mahabadi
Amir A
AA
West German Heart Center, Department of Cardiology, University Clinic Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
Reinsch
Nico
N
Lehmann
Nils
N
Altenbernd
Jens
J
Kälsch
Hagen
H
Seibel
Rainer M
RM
Erbel
Raimund
R
Möhlenkamp
Stefan
S
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods