Is epicardial adipose tissue thickness associated with left atrial size and the presence of atrial fibrillation?
Increased epicardial adipose tissue thickness (>0.30 cm) is significantly associated with left atrial enlargement and the presence of atrial fibrillation.
Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is associated with detrimental consequences. Epicardial fat is consistently associated with the presence, severity, and recurrence of AF. Aim: The aim of the work was to investigate the association of epicardial adipose tissue thickness with left atrial size in patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients and Methods: This study was conducted on 25 atrial fibrillation (AF) patients and 25 subjects with normal sinus rhythm as a control group matched in body weight. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiogram. EAT (epicardial adipose tissue) thickness was measured on the right ventricular free wall of the two- dimensional parasternal long-axis view at end systole. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the two groups in waist circumference, EAT (epicardial adipose tissue) thickness, left atrium diameter, LA volume. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis showed that an EAT thickness of > 0.30 cm maximizes the sensitivity and specificity to predict the development of AF. Conclusion: Increases epicardial adipose tissue is associated with the occurrence of atrial fibrillation.
Elsalam et al. (2021) studied this question.