Pericoronary adipose tissue differences among plaque types: a retrospective assessment

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Imaging
• Radiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
• Atherosclerotic plaques in coronary arteries can be classified into different types, influencing disease progression and risk.
• Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) surrounding coronary arteries has emerged as a potential imaging biomarker for cardiovascular risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate quantitative differences in pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) characteristics among various coronary plaque types.
• To explore the association between PCAT parameters and specific plaque morphologies, including calcified plaques (CP), non-calcified plaques (NCP), and mixed plaques (MP).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 488 patients with stable CAD undergoing coronary computed tomographic angiography.
• Quantification of PCAT volume, fat attenuation index (FAI), and Hounsfield unit (HU) values (10th percentile, 90th percentile, median, minimum).
• Comparison of clinical features and PCAT parameters across different plaque types (CP, NCP, MP).

Main Results:

• PCAT volume was significantly lower in patients with NCP compared to CP and MP.
• Patients with NCP and MP exhibited higher FAI and HU values in PCAT compared to those with CP.
• No significant differences in PCAT parameters were found between NCP and MP groups.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative parameters of PCAT demonstrate variability across different coronary plaque types.
• PCAT serves as a potential biosensor for differentiating plaque morphologies in CAD.
• These findings highlight the utility of PCAT analysis in understanding CAD heterogeneity.