Reductions in Epicardial Adipose Tissue and Mediastinal Fat Are Associated with Improved Cardiac Function

Patients with severe obesity exhibit a significant accumulation of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and mediastinal fat (MF). Although the accumulation of EAT has been reported to cause diastolic dysfunction owing to constrictive pericardial effects, the effect of MF on cardiac function remains unclear. The reduction of thoracic adipose tissue, including EAT and MF, may lead to improved cardiac function. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of changes in EAT and MF on cardiac function after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) on cardiac function.

We retrospectively evaluated the data of 75 patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) at a single institution. EAT and MF measurements and cardiac ultrasonography were performed at the initial visit and 1 year after LSG, and the relationships between changes in EAT and MF with cardiac function were investigated.

After LSG, EAT and MF significantly decreased (p < 0.001). Eight patients had diastolic dysfunction, and the improvement rate in diastolic dysfunction after LSG was 62.5%. Patients with diastolic dysfunction also had a greater accumulation of EAT than patients with normal diastolic function (74.6 vs. 102.2 mL, p = 0.041), along with a significantly greater rate of change in EAT after LSG (23.8% vs. 33.6%, p = 0.034). Univariate analysis results after propensity score (PS) matching also showed significantly greater EAT at the baseline in patients with diastolic dysfunction and indeterminate patients(69.8 vs. 102.2 mL, p = 0.034). Multivariate analysis results after PS matching showed that EAT accumulation at baseline may be an independent factor for diastolic dysfunction (odds ratio, 1.023; 95% confidence interval 1.000-1.054, p = 0.049), and the rate of change in EAT (odds ratio, 1.157; 95% confidence interval 1.029-1.435, p = 0.061) after MBS may also be independent factors.

In patients with severe obesity and diastolic dysfunction, EAT accumulation may exert significant pericardial constrictive effects. Furthermore, EAT significantly reduced after LSG, contributing to improved diastolic dysfunction.