title: Relationship between epicardial fat tissue and left ventricular synchronicity: An observational study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Left ventricular (LV) systolic synchrony is defined as simultaneous activation of corresponding cardiac segments. Impaired synchrony has some adverse cardiovascular effects, such as LV dysfunction and impaired prognosis. Epicardial fat tissue (EFT) is visceral fat around the heart. Increased EFT thickness is associated with some disorders, such as LV dysfunction and hypertrophy, which play a role in the impairment of LV synchrony. However, the relationship between EFT and LV systolic synchrony has never been assessed. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the possible relationship between EFT and LV synchrony in this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population consisted of 55 consecutive patients (mean age 46.4±13.4 years, 32 female) without bundle branch block (BBB). EFT and LV systolic synchrony were evaluated by transthoracic echocardiography using 2D and tissue Doppler imaging. Maximal difference (Ts-6) and standard deviation (Ts-SD-6) of time to peak systolic (Ts) myocardial tissue velocity obtained from 6 LV basal segments were used to assess LV synchrony. Multiple regression analysis was used to detect the independently related factors to LV synchrony.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean values of EFT thickness, Ts-6, and Ts-SD-6 were found to be 2.7±1.6 mm (ranging from 1-7 mm), 20.1±14.2 msec, and 7.7±5.6, respectively. EFT thickness also was independently associated with Ts-6 (β=0.332, p=0.01) and Ts-SD-6 (β=0.286, p=0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EFT thickness is associated with LV systolic synchrony in patients without BBB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University; Trabzon-Turkey. akiris79@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Abdulkadir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kırış
authors.forename: Gülhanım
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kırış
authors.forename: Oğuzhan Ekrem
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Turan
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Öztürk
authors.forename: Mürsel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Şahin
authors.forename: Abdulselam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: İlter
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bektaş
authors.forename: Merih
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kutlu
authors.forename: Şahin
authors.initials: Ş
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Ömer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Gedikli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*