Association of Pericardial Fat with Severity of Coronary Artery Disease

Obesity is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Measurement of pericardial fat (PF) by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) might have potential for early diagnosis and assessment of risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Our study is the first study from India, wherein we have tried to find the association of PF with the severity of CAD. To evaluate the association of PF quantified by MDCT with the severity of CAD. This cross-sectional study was performed at a single-tertiary-care center over a period of 18 months, and included patients who referred for coronary computed tomography: (1) suspected case of CAD, (2) symptomatic patient with intermediate pretest probability of CAD, or uninterpretable electrocardiogram, or unable to exercise on stress test. Periprostatic fat volume (PFV) was quantified using semiautomated technique, for measuring the amount of fat during end-systolic phase. Patients who had evidence of CAD were considered “CAD positive” in this study. A total of 87 patients were enrolled in this study. However, 7 patients were excluded due to motion artifacts and 80 patients (females, 27.5%, and males, 72.5%; mean age, 49.30 ± 12.27 years) were eligible for this study. PFV ranged from 28 to 547 mL, and the median value of PFV was around 100 mL. Our study demonstrated a significant association between PF and age/body mass index/risk factors such as diabetes or family history. Higher PF was strongly associated with calcium score and severity of stenosis on computed tomography coronary angiography. Thus, PF is a risk predictor in subclinical CAD patients.