Key result
Adding strain and epicardial fat to standard echocardiography improves risk stratification in obesity.
Why the study?
Standard transthoracic echocardiography in obese patients often reveals normal hemodynamics and heart geometry, raising questions about whether cardiac abnormalities are genuinely absent or simply undetected.
Does an extended echocardiography protocol improve the detection of early cardiac abnormalities in obese patients?
Does an extended echocardiography protocol improve the detection of early cardiac abnormalities in obese patients?
Adding epicardial adipose tissue thickness and myocardial strain to routine echocardiography in obese patients can help identify subclinical cardiac dysfunction and improve risk stratification.
Hypothesis-generating for refined risk stratification in obese patients; prospective validation required before clinical adoption.
Often, transthoracic echocardiography in obese patients reveals normal indicators of intracardiac hemodynamics and heart geometry. Can the clinician determine the risk of cardiovascular events and proper management in such patients based on the data obtained? Do many overweight patients really have no cardiac abnormalities, or they simply could not be detected? New capabilities of transthoracic echocardiography make it possible to detect abnormalities in the early stages of the disease, even in the absence of clinical manifestations. Thus, the inclusion of additional parameters in the standard protocol of echocardiography in obese patients will most accurately determine the management tactics and prognosis, thereby reducing the risk of unfavorable outcomes.
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Джиоева et al. (2023) conducted a review in Obesity. Extended transthoracic echocardiography protocol (including epicardial adipose tissue, global longitudinal strain, and left atrial strain) vs. Standard echocardiography protocol was evaluated. The inclusion of additional parameters such as epicardial adipose tissue thickness and myocardial strain in the standard echocardiography protocol for obese patients improves risk stratification and prognosis determination.
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