Epicardial fat is known to be a cardiovascular risk factor, but is it independently associated with arrhythmias?
Dr. Jadranka Stojanovska (presenter), Dr. Ella Kazerooni, and colleagues from the University of Michigan aimed to determine the link between epicardial fat and the presence and severity of atrial fibrillation in 231 patients, including 169 with AF. AF patients underwent CT of the pulmonary veins and left atrium, while the control patients underwent coronary CT. Intrathoracic fat volumes were measured for both groups.
"Epicardial fat, which is metabolically active fat, is increasingly being recognized as a cardiovascular risk factor, both for coronary artery disease and arrhythmias," Kazerooni told AuntMinnie.com. "This work demonstrates the association of epicardial fact with the latter. Methods to more automatically measure epicardial fat are necessary so that we can report this with every thoracic and cardiac CT we perform, as added value to patients and referring providers."
