The Correlation between Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thick- ness and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease; An Echocar- diographic Evaluation

Introduction: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), as a visceral adipose tissue, is associated with various cardio- metabolic risk factors, such as fasting plasma glucose, systemic blood pressure and serum low-density lipopro- tein. Using EAT thickness as a cost-efficient assessment tool for stratifying the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) is still controversial. Methods: We enrolled 250 consecutive patients who underwent coronary angiogra- phy during 2016 and gathered their demographic. Echocardiographic examinations were performed in the left lateral decubitus position and EAT thickness was measured in standard parasternal long-axis (PLAX) and apical four chamber views. Results: 250 patients including 156 men (mean age: 57.66) and 94 women (mean age: 61.19) were enrolled. Two vessel disease (2VD) and three vessel disease (3VD) were significantly associated with hyper- lipidemia (P: 0.04), CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) (P: 0.001), diabetes mellitus (P: 0.001) and smoking habits (P: 0.001). Also, EAT thickness in PLAX view (P<0.001), and not four chamber view (P: 0.136), was significantly asso- ciated and correlated with increased involvement of coronary arteries in catheterization. Conclusion: Although EAT thickness in PLAX view was significantly correlated with 2VD and 3VD, this correlation was not strong and the accuracy of this approach needs further evaluation.