Association of epicardial and intramyocardial fat with ventricular arrhythmias.

Heart Rhythm

Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland. Electronic address:

Published: December 2023

Background: Among patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) and nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM), myocardial fibrosis is associated with an increased risk for ventricular arrhythmia (VA). Growing evidence suggests that myocardial fat contributes to ventricular arrhythmogenesis. However, little is known about the volume and distribution of epicardial adipose tissue and intramyocardial fat and their relationship with VAs.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the association of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT)-derived left ventricular (LV) tissue heterogeneity, epicardial adipose tissue volume, and intramyocardial fat volume with the risk of VA in ICM and NICM patients.

Methods: Patients enrolled in the PROSE-ICD registry who underwent CE-CT were included. Intramyocardial fat volume (voxels between -180 and -5 Hounsfield units [HU]), epicardial adipose tissue volume (between -200 and -50 HU), and LV tissue heterogeneity were calculated. The primary endpoint was appropriate ICD shocks or sudden arrhythmic death.

Results: Among 98 patients (47 ICM, 51 NICM), LV tissue heterogeneity was associated with VA (odds ratio [OR] 1.10; P = .01), particularly in the ICM cohort. In the NICM subgroup, epicardial adipose tissue and intramyocardial fat volume were associated with VA (OR 1.11, P = .01; and OR = 1.21, P = .01, respectively) but not in the ICM patients (OR 0.92, P =.22; and OR = 0.96, P =.19, respectively).

Conclusion: In ICM patients, increased fat distribution heterogeneity is associated with VA. In NICM patients, an increased volume of intramyocardial fat and epicardial adipose tissue is associated with a higher risk for VA. Our findings suggest that fat's contribution to VAs depends on the underlying substrate.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10881203PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hrthm.2023.08.033DOI Listing

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  • Researchers analyzed cardiac MRI and electroanatomical maps from 49 patients, revealing that VT corridors had significantly higher volumes of LM.
  • The findings suggest that these VT corridors not only contain more LM but also show lower variability in current amplitude, indicating that LM may help stabilize electrical signaling during VT episodes.
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