Epicardial fat thickness: A surrogate marker of coronary artery disease - Assessment by echocardiography.

OBJECTIVE: Epicardial fat is considered as indicator of cardiovascular risk. Several studies have tested the association between epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and coronary artery disease. The aim of our study is to test the hypothesis that echocardiographic EFT is a marker of coronary artery disease.

METHODS: One hundred and ten patients (70 males and 40 females with mean age of 51.5±10.6 and 52.6±9.6, respectively) admitted for coronary angiogram underwent assessment of epicardial fat thickness by echocardiography. Routine clinical examination, evaluation of risk factor profile, and anthropometric variables were also done. Epicardial fat thickness was measured on the free wall of right ventricle in parasternal long- and short-axis views at end-systole for 3 cardiac cycles.

RESULTS: Mean epicardial fat thickness in angiographically normal patients and acute coronary syndromes were 4.4±1.2 and 6.9±1.9, respectively. Epicardial fat thickness in males and females were not statistically different. Burden of coronary arterial lesions denoted by Gensini score shows linear association with epicardial fat thickness and the severity of the coronary disease.

CONCLUSION: Epicardial fat is independently and linearly associated with CAD and its severity.