title: 3D-Dixon cardiac magnetic resonance detects an increased epicardial fat volume in hypertensive men with myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Using a three-dimensional ECG- and respiratory navigator gated magnetization prepared mDixon-sequence (3D-Dixon) we quantified epi- and pericardial fat volumes (EFV, PFV) in hypertensive men compared to a healthy control group and related the amount of fat volumes in hypertensive men to the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and myocardial infarction (MI).
  
  
  METHODS
  55 hypertensive men (mean age 63.02±10.73years [y]) with MI (n=22; mean age 61.55±10.50y) and without MI (n=33; mean age 63.17±10.93y), and a group of ten healthy men (mean age 59.00±8.41y) underwent a comprehensive cardiomagnetic resonance (CMR) examination on a 1.5T MR system (Ingenia, Philips). Hypertensive men without MI consisted of patients with CAD (n=15) and without CAD (n=18). EFV and PFV were assessed using 3D-Dixon. Fat only images were reconstructed online at the scanner, and the segmentation of fat volumes was performed based on fat fraction maps. EFV and PFV were normalized to the body surface area (ml/m(2)).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean EFV and PFV in all hypertensive men (81.8±33.90 and 194.86±83.51) as well as in hypertensive men with no CAD (74.53±26.40 and 174.60±65.70) were significantly higher than in the healthy controls (52.98±19.81 and 115.50±53.57; P<0.05, each). EFV and PFV in hypertensive men with MI (94.14±43.16 and 224.26±100.79) were significantly higher than in hypertensive men with no MI (73.57±23.27 and 175.26±63.07; P<0.05, each). There were no significant differences in age, BMI or heart rate between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  3D-Dixon measurements revealed significantly higher epi- and pericardial fat volumes in hypertensive men with myocardial infarction compared to hypertensive men without MI. This finding underscores the role of cardiac fatty tissue as a proinflammatory and metabolically active organ. Non-invasive CMR-based whole volume measurement of epi- and pericardial fat may play a relevant future role in cardiovascular risk stratification and disease management.
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany. Electronic address: homsi@uni-bonn.de.
authors.forename: Rami
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Homsi
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany; Institute of Medical Engineering, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Alois M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sprinkart
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany; Philips Research, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Juergen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gieseke
authors.affiliation: Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus Bonn, St. Petrus, Department of Cardiology, Bonner Talweg 4-6, 53113 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Seyrani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yuecel
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meier-Schroers
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Luetkens
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Darius
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dabir
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kuetting
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology, University of Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nadal
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Schild
authors.affiliation: University of Bonn, Department of Radiology, Sigmund-Freud-Str. 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D010496:Pericardium / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: CMR; Dixon; Epicardial fat; Hypertension; Myocardial infarction; Pericardial fat