ANALYSIS ON EPICARDIAL ADIPOSE TISSUE DENSITY AND VOLUME AND THE PROPERTIES OF CORONARY PLAQUE IN CORONARY HEART DISEASE PATIENTS

Fan cheng, Xingxing Yang^*

Center of Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, Taihe hospital. Zhejiang Taihe Hospital Rehabilitation Center, Shiyan City, Hubei Province, 442000, China

Purpose: To explore the association between epicardial adipose tissue density and volume and coronary plaques properties in coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods: A total of 61 patients with CHD from March 2019 to April 2020 were selected. After admission, plaque examination, epicardial adipose tissue volume and density measurements, and disease severity assessment were performed. The epicardial adipose tissue volume and density of patients with CHD on the plaque and non-plaque sides, and different plaque properties and disease levels (Gensini score) were analyzed.The correlations between epicardial adipose tissue volume and density, plaque nature, and disease severity were determined. 

Results: Regarding plaque properties, 18, 24, and 19 CHD patients had calcified, non-calcified, and mixed plaques, respectively. Disease severity was mild, moderate, and severe in 31, 19, and 11 patients, respectively. The epicardial adipose tissue volume and density were higher on the plaque side than on the non-plaque side (105.19±55.11 cm³ vs. 73.81±31.36 cm³ and -98.01.24±12.54 HU vs. -107.36±12.79 HU, respectively; P<0.05). There were no significant differences in epicardial adipose tissue volume and density in patients with mixed plaque CHD and non-calcified plaque CHD (99.91±61.38 cm3 vs. 106.77±56.64 cm3 and -98.54±15.72 HU vs. -96.27±17.01 HU, respectively). Patients with moderate CHD had higher volume and density than patients with mild CHD (116.82±47.64 cm3vs. 89.01±36.87 cm³ and -100.87±20.65 HU vs. -109.93±19.57 HU, respectively). Patients with severe CHD had higher volume and density than patients with moderate CHD (155.61±59.71 cm3and -89.73±20.45 HU, respectively; P<0.05). Tests showed that the epicardial adipose tissue volume and density had no significant correlation with plaque properties (P>0.05), but had a significant positive correlation with disease severity (P<0.05). 

Conclusion: Epicardial adipose tissue density and volume on the plaque side increased significantly, correlating with plaque formation and disease severity, providing a reference for assessing disease severity.