The intrusive nature of epicardial adipose tissue as revealed by cardiac magnetic resonance
File(s)Faletra Epicardial Fat JEcho 2019.pdf (2.82 MB)
Published version
Author(s)
Leo, Laura Anna
Paiocchi, Vera Lucia
Schlossbauer, Susanne Anna
Ho, Siew Yen
Faletra, Francesco F
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) refers to the deposition of adipose tissue fully enclosed by the pericardial sac. EAT has a complex mixture of adipocytes, nervous tissue, as well as inflammatory, stromal and immune cells secreting bioactive molecules. This heterogeneous composition reveals that it is not a simply fat storage depot, but rather a biologically active organ that appears playing a “dichotomous” role, either protective or proinflammatory and proatherogenic. The cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) allows a clear visualization of EAT using a specific pulse sequence called steady-state free precession. When abundant, the EAT assumes a pervasive presence not only covering the entire epicardial surface but also invading spaces that usually are almost virtual and separating walls that usually are so close each other to resemble a single wall. To the best of our knowledge, this aspect of cardiac anatomy has never been described before. In this pictorial review, we therefore focus our attention on certain cardiac areas in which EAT, when abundant, is particularly intrusive. In particular, we describe the presence of EAT into: (a) the interatrial groove, the atrioventricular septum, and the inferior pyramidal space, (b) the left lateral ridge, (c) the atrioventricular grooves, and (d) the transverse pericardial sinus. To confirm the reliability in depicting the EAT distribution, we present CMR images side-by-side with corresponding anatomic specimens.
Date Issued
2019-04-01
Date Acceptance
2019-04-01
Citation
Journal of Cardiovascular Echography, 2019, 29 (2), pp.45-51
ISSN
2211-4122
Publisher
Medknow Publications
Start Page
45
End Page
51
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Cardiovascular Echography
Volume
29
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2019 Journal of Cardiovascular Echography | Published by Wolters Kluwer - Medknow. This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to
remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit
is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to
remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit
is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
Identifier
https://www.webofscience.com/api/gateway?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000479098100001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
ANATOMY
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Cardiac magnetic resonance
Cardiovascular System & Cardiology
ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY
epicardial adipose tissue
FAT
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
multimodality imaging
RELEVANCE
Science & Technology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2019-04-01