Volumetric measurement of pericardial adipose tissue from contrast-enhanced coronary computed tomography angiography:...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Pericardial adipose tissue (PAT) and intrathoracic adipose tissue (IAT) are linked to metabolic and cardiovascular risks.
• Cardiac multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) can localize and quantify these fat depots.
• Reproducibility of MDCT-based volumetric quantification of PAT and IAT is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the reproducibility of electrocardiogram-gated, high-resolution cardiac MDCT for volumetric quantification of PAT and IAT.
• To evaluate the reliability of a 3D semiautomatic segmentation algorithm for measuring these adipose tissues.

Main Methods:

• 100 patients with acute chest pain underwent contrast-enhanced coronary CT angiography using 64-slice MDCT.
• Two independent observers used a 3D semiautomatic segmentation algorithm to measure PAT and IAT volumes.
• Inter-observer and intra-observer reproducibility were assessed.

Main Results:

• Excellent inter-observer reproducibility was found for both PAT (7.35 +/- 7.22%) and IAT (6.23 +/- 4.91%), with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.98.
• High intra-observer reproducibility was also observed for PAT (5.18 +/- 5.19%) and IAT (4.34 +/- 4.12%), with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.99.
• The MDCT-based 3D semiautomatic segmentation method demonstrated high reliability.

Conclusions:

• MDCT-based 3D semiautomatic segmentation provides a highly reproducible method for quantifying PAT and IAT.
• These volumetric measurements may enhance the predictive value of obesity for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.
• Further research is needed to confirm the clinical utility of these measurements in predicting insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.