Quantitative Analysis of Quantity and Distribution of Epicardial Adipose Tissue Surrounding the Left Atrium in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation and Effect of Recurrence After Ablation

Association Between Epicardial Adipose Tissue Volumes on 3-Dimensional Reconstructed CT Images and Recurrence of Atrial Fibrillation After Catheter Ablation

“…EAT volumes were significantly greater in the AF patients than in the control patients, but the absolute 3-D rendered EAT volumes obtained in the present study were greater than those reported in other recent studies. 3,5, 14 The discrepancy may be explained by the wider 320-row detector used in the present study vs. the commonly used 64-row CT scanner. Our particular 320-row detector CT scanner acquires accurate high-resolution 3-D images because it allows full cardiac coverage in a single heart beat without table movement, 15 and eliminates stair-step artifacts.…”

“…11-13 Therefore, we hypothesized that EAT volume may influence outcome after CA for AF. 14 Computed tomography (CT), echocardiography, and magnetic resonance imaging have been used to assess adipose tissue volume, and the majority of recent studies have used a 64-row CT scanner. 3-5, 14 A 320-row scanner was recently developed that (in comparison to the 64-row scanner) results in less radiation and less i.v.…”

Inflammation of left atrial epicardial adipose tissue is associated with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation

“…Ectopic fat deposits in muscle, liver, and the pancreas correlate with insulin resistance and CAD [4]. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is ectopic visceral fat that surrounds the heart, and increased EAT volumes correlate with the prevalence of AF, as well as with the recurrence of AF after ablation therapy [6,7]. Increased fat thickness at the posterior left atrium (LA) may be particularly related to the AF burden, independent of age, BMI, and the LA area [8,9].…”

Epicardial adipose tissue: at the heart of the obesity complications

“…Indeed, several recent studies have established the association of EAT with atrial fibrillation onset, chronicity, recurrence after catheter ablation or electrical cardioversion and symptom burden, as independent of other atrial fibrillation risk factors (i.e., left atrium size) and systemic adiposity [50,52,53]. The abundance of EAT independently predicts lone atrial fibrillation, but also of atrial fibrillation associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or CAD and after coronary bypass [51,54,55].…”