Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2025
Identifying Coronary Artery Calcification on Non-gated Computed Tomography Scans
Published on: August 28, 2018
Correlation of Sarcopenia with Coronary Artery Disease Severity and Pericoronary Adipose Tissue Attenuation: A
Domenico Albano1,2, Caterina Beatrice Monti3, Giovanni Antonio Risoleo4
1IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, 20161 Milan, Italy.
Insights
This study found weak links between sarcopenia indicators and cardiovascular risk, including coronary artery disease (CAD) severity and pericoronary adipose tissue (pCAT) inflammation. Age and traditional factors were stronger predictors of CAD than sarcopenia.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Imaging
- Radiology
- Geriatrics
Background:
- Sarcopenia, age-related muscle loss, is increasingly recognized as a health concern.
- Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
- The relationship between sarcopenia and cardiovascular risk markers needs further elucidation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between CT-assessed sarcopenia metrics and cardiovascular status.
- To evaluate the correlation between muscle metrics and coronary artery disease (CAD) severity using Coronary Artery Disease-Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS).
- To assess the relationship between sarcopenia indicators and pericoronary adipose tissue (pCAT) characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective observational study of patients undergoing coronary CT angiography (CCTA).
- Measurement of skeletal muscle cross-sectional area and attenuation at T8 and T6 levels, normalized for height.
- Assessment of pCAT attenuation and CAD severity grading using CAD-RADS.
Main Results:
- Weak positive correlations were observed between lower muscle density and lower pCAT attenuation (ρ = 0.144-0.240, p < 0.039).
- CAD was associated with age and sex (p < 0.001).
- Age and left anterior descending artery pCAT were related (p = 0.032), as was circumflex artery pCAT (p = 0.018).
Conclusions:
- Sarcopenia indicators showed weak associations with cardiovascular risk markers like CAD severity and pCAT inflammation.
- Sarcopenia was not a strong predictor of CAD severity.
- Age and traditional cardiovascular risk factors were more significant in cardiovascular risk assessment than sarcopenia.
Objective:
To investigate the association between sarcopenia, as appraised with CT-derived muscle metrics, and cardiovascular status, as assessed via coronary CT angiography (CCTA) using the Coronary Artery Disease-Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) and with pericoronary adipose tissue (pCAT) metrics.
Methods:
A retrospective observational study conducted on patients who underwent CCTA. The cross-sectional area (CSA) and attenuation values of the paravertebral muscles at the T8 level and the pectoralis major muscles at the T6 level were measured. The patient height was employed for the normalization of the skeletal muscle CSA. The pCAT attenuation around the coronary arteries was assessed, and the CAD severity was graded using the CAD-RADS reporting system. Regression analyses were performed to assess the impact of demographics, clinical factors, and CT variables on the CAD-RADS and pCAT.
Results:
A total of 220 patients were included (132 males, median age 65 years). Regression analyses showed the associations of CAD with age and sex (p < 0.001). Familiarity with CAD was related to the left anterior descending artery pCAT (p = 0.002) and circumflex artery pCAT (p = 0.018), whereas age was related to the left anterior descending artery pCAT (p = 0.032). Weak positive correlations were found between the lower muscle density and lower pCAT attenuation (ρ = 0.144-0.240, p < 0.039).
Conclusions:
This study demonstrated weak associations between the sarcopenia indicators and the cardiovascular risk, as assessed by the CAD severity and pCAT inflammation. However, these correlations were not strong predictors of CAD severity, as age and traditional cardiovascular risk factors overshadowed the impact of sarcopenia in the cardiovascular risk assessment.
More Related Videos
06:57Author Spotlight: Advancing Cardiovascular Imaging - Introducing the Spatially Weighted Calcium Score for Early Disease Detection
Published on: September 22, 2023
13:35Segmentation and Linear Measurement for Body Composition Analysis using Slice-O-Matic and Horos
Published on: March 21, 2021
Related Concept Videos
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT
01:28Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System V: CT
01:20Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System III: X-Ray
Definition and Purpose
An X-ray, or radiograph, is a non-invasive method that uses ionizing radiation to take images of internal structures. It is mainly used in cardiac imaging to examine the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels, aiming to identify abnormalities in the heart's size, shape, and position, such as heart failure, congenital defects, and vascular...