The presence and amountof fat around the heartcould be an independentrisk marker for coronaryartery disease.
The presence and amount of fat around the heart could be an independent risk marker for coronary artery disease.
Researchers at Korea University Guro Hospital in Seoul first established a correlation between pericardial adipose tissue and coronary atherosclerosis. Their cardiac CT angiography study of 165 chest pain patients with normal body mass showed those who developed coronary artery plaque had a significantly larger area of pericardial fat compared with those with normal scans. Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina made a similar discovery in a study of 129 chest pain patients who underwent CTA and conventional angiography. They found a strong correlation between signs of disease and relatively high amounts of epicardial or intrathoracic fat volumes. They released findings at the 2008 RSNA meeting.
Stay at the forefront of radiology with the Diagnostic Imaging newsletter, delivering the latest news, clinical insights, and imaging advancements for today’s radiologists.
Study Shows Enhanced Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Stenosis with Photon-Counting CTA
July 10th 2025In a new study comparing standard resolution and ultra-high resolution modes for patients undergoing coronary CTA with photon-counting detector CT, researchers found that segment-level sensitivity and accuracy rates for diagnosing coronary artery stenosis were consistently > 89.6 percent.
FDA Expands Approval of MRI-Guided Ultrasound Treatment for Patients with Parkinson’s Disease
July 9th 2025For patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease, the expanded FDA approval of the Exablate Neuro platform allows for the use of MRI-guided focused ultrasound in performing staged bilateral pallidothalamic tractotomy.