Pericoronary adipose tissue differences among plaque types: a retrospective assessment

Mengyuan Jing; Jianqing Sun; Qing Zhou; Jiachen Sun; Xiangwen Li; Huaze Xi; Bin Zhang; Xiaoqiang Lin; Liangna Deng; Tao Han; Junlin Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.clinimag.2023.02.009

Pericoronary adipose tissue differences among plaque types: a retrospective assessment

Clin Imaging. 2023 Apr:96:58-63. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2023.02.009. Epub 2023 Feb 17.

Authors

Mengyuan Jing¹, Jianqing Sun², Qing Zhou¹, Jiachen Sun¹, Xiangwen Li³, Huaze Xi¹, Bin Zhang¹, Xiaoqiang Lin¹, Liangna Deng¹, Tao Han¹, Junlin Zhou⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China; Second Clinical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China; Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Medical Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Lanzhou, China.
² Shanghai United Imaging Research Institute of Intelligent Imaging, Shanghai, China.
³ School of Public Health, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, China.
⁴ Department of Radiology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, China; Second Clinical School, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, China; Gansu International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Medical Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Lanzhou, China. Electronic address: ery_zhoujl@lzu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36822014
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2023.02.009

Abstract

Purpose: To assess differences in pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) in patients with different plaque types by using several quantitative parameters of PCAT and investigate the relationship between PCAT and different plaque types.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively recruited 488 patients diagnosed with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) via coronary computed tomographic angiography, including 279 with calcified plaques (CP), 153 with non-calcified plaques (NCP), and 56 with mixed plaques (MP). Volume, fat attenuation index (FAI), and 10^th percentile, 90^th percentile, median, and minimum Hounsfield unit (HU) values of PCAT surrounding plaques were quantified. Clinical features and quantitative PCAT parameters were compared between different plaque types.

Results: No intergroup differences were observed for age, sex, body mass index, risk factors, and plaque location. Length and PCAT volume in the NCP group were lower than those of the CP and MP groups (P < 0.001), whereas there were no significant differences between the CP and MP groups (P > 0.05). Patients with NCP and MP had a higher FAI and 10^th percentile, 90^th percentile, median, and minimum HU values of PCAT than CP (P < 0.001); however these values were not significantly different between the NCP and MP groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: The quantitative parameters of PCAT, as a biosensor for CAD, vary among the different plaque types.

Keywords: Coronary artery disease; Fat attenuation index; Pericoronary adipose tissue; Plaque types.

MeSH terms

Adipose Tissue
Computed Tomography Angiography / methods
Coronary Angiography / methods
Coronary Artery Disease*
Coronary Vessels
Humans
Plaque, Atherosclerotic*
Retrospective Studies