Aims: This study aims to investigate whether HS-when associated with an excessive amount of epicardial adipose tissue-correlates with CAD in subjects with symptoms suggestive of CVD.
Methods and results: CCTA images, demographic and clinical variables of 1.182 individuals were retrieved: semi-automated measurements for EFV, CAC, and MLD were obtained. Individuals were grouped into three categories according to the presence of CAD, resulting in absent (CAD0), non-obstructive (CAD1) or obstructive (CAD2) disease-groups, and into two categories based on the presence of HS (with no HS, named HS-, and with HS, named HS+). EFV was significantly higher in HS+ than in HS- group (p < 0.001), whereas MLD was lower in CAD+ than in CAD- subjects (p < 0.001). Two predictive models for CAD were tested: the former included clinical risk factors for CAD along with age, gender, EFV and MLD, whereas the latter did not include clinical variables. The logistic regression analysis of the second proposed model reliably discriminated CAD0 from CAD1 and CAD2 (AUC of 0.712, range 0.682-0.742).
Conclusion: Lower MLD was associated with increased EFV, and MLD-as a marker of HS-discriminate symptomatic patients with CAD from whom without.
Keywords: Cardiac computed tomographic angiography; Coronary artery disease; Epicardial fat volume; Hepatic steatosis; Mean liver density.