Correlation analysis between changes in pericoronary fat attenuation index and plaque progression
CHEN Guanxi
GUO Ziqiang
SONG Shan
DANG Tingyu
YANG Zhao
WANG Xi
LIU Zinuan
YANG Junjie
Abstract：Objective To investigate the relationship between pericoronary fat attenuation index(FAI)and the plaque progression.Methods This retrospective study included 140 inpatients with suspected coronary artery disease(CAD)who underwent consecutive coronary computed tomography angiography(CCTA),with an average age of 56.8±10.5 years old.A total of 348 plaques were identified.Clinical data,as well as baseline and follow-up(at least one year apart)CCTA imaging data,were collected.Characteristics,degree of stenosis,plaque volume(PV),and percentage atheroma volume(PAV)were analyzed.Peri-plaque FAI was measured and analyzed.A multivariate generalized estimating equation was used to adjust for confounding variables,and linear regression models were fitted to analyze the association between the annual change in FAI(ΔFAI/y)and the annual changes in PV(ΔPV/y)and PAV(ΔPAV/y).Results The median interval between the two CCTA scans was 2.3(1.7,3.8)years.Quantitative analysis of the two scans revealed significant increases in all components of PV and PAV except for lipid PV and lipid PAV(all P<0.001).After adjusting for China-PAR score,Leiden score,TyG index,antiplatelet therapy,and statin use using generalized estimating equation,ΔPAV/y of total plaques was significantly positively correlated with ΔFAI/y(β=0.156,95%CI:0.025-0.287,P=0.019).Specifically,ΔPAV/y of non-calcified plaques(β=0.139,95%CI:0.006-0.273,P=0.041)and fibrous plaques(β=0.197,95%CI:0.067-0.327,P=0.003)also showed significant positive correlations with ΔFAI/y.Conclusion Changes in FAI are consistent with changes in non-calcified PAV and fibrous PAV.This may help identify potentially high-risk patients with stable coronary artery disease and supports the use of FAI as a valuable tool for evaluating treatment efficacy in coronary artery disease.
Keywords：Coronary atherosclerosisHeart diseaseComputed tomography angiographyTomographyX-ray computedFat attenuation indexPlaque
Publication Date：2025-05-15
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：8( 277-284 )