title: Epicardial fat thickness as associated with left ventricular myocardial performance in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Epicardial fat thickness (EFth) is associated with both left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and diastolic dysfunction. However, the effect of EFth on myocardial performance is not known. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between EFth and tissue Doppler myocardial performance index (TD-MPI), which incorporates both systolic and diastolic left ventricular (LV) function, in newly diagnosed hypertension (HT) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 314 consecutive, newly diagnosed HT patients were prospectively included (mean age: 51.9±1.7 years). EFth was measured perpendicularly on the free wall of the right ventricle at the end of the systole in 2 echocardiographic views (parasternal short and long axis). Myocardial performance index (MPI) was calculated using tissue Doppler (TD) echocardiography. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to median TD-MPI levels (TD-MPIlow and TD-MPIhigh).
  
  
  RESULTS
  EFth values of the TD-MPIhigh group were higher than those of the TD-MPIlow group (p<0.05). Patients in the TD-MPIhigh group also had higher age, body mass index, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), E/A ratio, and aortic distensibility, compared with the TD-MPIlow group (p<0.05 for all). Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that TD-MPI was independently associated with age (ß=0.089, p=0.012), LVMI (ß=0.090, p=0.05), E/A (ß=-0.118, p=0.005), and EFth (ß=0.432, p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TD-MPI was independently associated with EFth in patients with newly diagnosed HT. EFth may be used as a predictor of impaired LV global functions in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and newly diagnosed HT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kafkas University Faculty of Medicine, Kars, Turkey.
authors.forename: Abdurrezzak
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Börekçi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kafkas University Faculty of Medicine, Kars, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gür
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Taner
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Şeker
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Çukurova State Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayşe
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kalyoncu Uçar
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet Oytun
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Baykan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zafer
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Elbasan
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hazar
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Harbalıoğlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Adana Numune Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uçar
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Dicle University Faculty of Medicine, Diyarbakır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Çaylı
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*