Niculescu Raluca, Mureșan Alexandru, Radu Carmen Corina, Hogea Timur Robert, Cocuz Iuliu Gabriel, Sabău Adrian Horațiu, Russu Eliza, Arbănași Emil Marian, Arbănași Eliza Mihaela, Mureșan Adrian Vasile, Stoian Adina, Ceană Daniela Edith, Buicu Corneliu Florin, Cotoi Ovidiu Simion
Department of Pathophysiology, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu Mures, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania.
Department of Pathology, Mures Clinical County Hospital, 540011 Targu Mures, Romania.
Diagnostics (Basel). 2025 Jun 11;15(12):1491. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics15121491.
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading global cause of death, with atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability, rather than stenosis severity, playing a central role in acute coronary events. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) has emerged as a key contributor to coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial ischemia. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between EAT thickness and the development and severity of atherosclerotic plaques in these coronary arteries, and to evaluate the influence of demographic factors on EAT thickness and plaque vulnerability. : A retrospective analysis was conducted on autopsy data from 245 sudden cardiac death (SCD) cases (2021-2023). EAT thickness was measured at the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and left circumflex coronary artery (LCx) levels. From each artery, one segment that showed evidence of an atherosclerotic plaque was collected and sent for histological examination. Additionally, we documented demographic data, including age, sex, and body mass index (BMI) for each case. : In the present study, we enrolled 245 subjects with SCD, among whom 175 (71.42%) were male, and 70 (28.58%) were female. The mean age was 62.31 ± 12.69 years, and the mean BMI was 26.12 ± 4.16. We observed a mean EAT thickness value of 0.74 ± 0.26 cm at the LAD artery level and 0.71 ± 0.27 cm at the LCx artery level. We observed a positive correlation between BMI and EAT thickness at the LAD level (r = 0.260, < 0.001) and similarly at the LCx level (r = 0.260, < 0.001). Additionally, advancing age is associated with an increase in EAT thickness at both the LAD level (r = 0.188, = 0.003) and the LCx level (r = 0.242, < 0.001). Furthermore, we observed a higher EAT thickness at the LAD level ( = 0.0019) and the LCx level ( = 0.0225) among subjects with unstable atherosclerotic plaques. In the logistic regression analysis, the elevated value of EAT thickness was associated with unstable atherosclerotic plaque at LAD (OR: 1.88, = 0.002) and LCx (OR: 1.51, = 0.010) for the entire study cohort. : Our data revealed that higher baseline values of EAT LCx and EAT LAD are associated with unstable plaque at the level of the left coronary arteries. Furthermore, our findings indicate that male individuals are more susceptible to developing unstable plaques in the coronary arteries.
心血管疾病仍然是全球主要的死亡原因，在急性冠状动脉事件中，动脉粥样硬化斑块的易损性而非狭窄程度起着核心作用。心外膜脂肪组织（EAT）已成为冠状动脉粥样硬化和心肌缺血的关键因素。本研究旨在探讨EAT厚度与这些冠状动脉中动脉粥样硬化斑块的发生发展及严重程度之间的关系，并评估人口统计学因素对EAT厚度和斑块易损性的影响。：对245例心源性猝死（SCD）病例（2021 - 2023年）的尸检数据进行回顾性分析。在左前降支动脉（LAD）和左旋支冠状动脉（LCx）水平测量EAT厚度。从每条动脉中收集一段显示有动脉粥样硬化斑块证据的组织，并送去进行组织学检查。此外，我们记录了每个病例的人口统计学数据，包括年龄、性别和体重指数（BMI）。：在本研究中，我们纳入了245例SCD受试者，其中175例（71.42%）为男性，70例（28.58%）为女性。平均年龄为62.31±12.69岁，平均BMI为26.12±4.16。我们观察到LAD动脉水平的EAT平均厚度值为0.74±0.26 cm，LCx动脉水平为0.71±0.27 cm。我们观察到BMI与LAD水平的EAT厚度之间存在正相关（r = 0.260，<0.001），LCx水平同样如此（r = 0.260，<0.001）。此外，年龄增长与LAD水平（r = 0.188，= 0.003）和LCx水平（r = 0.242，<0.001）的EAT厚度增加有关。此外，我们观察到不稳定动脉粥样硬化斑块患者在LAD水平（= 0.0019）和LCx水平（= 0.0225）的EAT厚度更高。在逻辑回归分析中，对于整个研究队列，EAT厚度升高值与LAD（OR：1.88，= 0.002）和LCx（OR：1.51，= 0.010）处的不稳定动脉粥样硬化斑块相关。：我们的数据显示，EAT LCx和EAT LAD的较高基线值与左冠状动脉水平的不稳定斑块相关。此外，我们的研究结果表明，男性个体更容易在冠状动脉中形成不稳定斑块。
