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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Cardiac Rhythmology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1480473

The association between features of epicardial adipose tissue and the risks of early recurrence after catheter ablation for patients with atrial fibrillation

Provisionally accepted
Leiyu Feng Leiyu Feng 1Liming Li Liming Li 2Linpeng Bai Linpeng Bai 1Li Tang Li Tang 2Yintao Zhao Yintao Zhao 1Xiaoyan Zhao Xiaoyan Zhao 1*
  • 1 Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Center, Henan Key Laboratory of Hereditary Cardiovascular Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
  • 2 Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) remodelling is associated with atrial fibrillation (AF), However, there is limited research on the contribution of EAT to the risk of an AF recurrence (AFR).The purpose of this research was to assess the relationship between the risk of AFR after radiofrequency catheter ablation and the volume and attenuation of the EAT.We included a total of 123 consecutive individuals who received AF ablation, 31 of whom suffered AFR. The volume and mean density of the whole heart and periatrial EAT were measured on computed tomography images using four attenuation ranges. The clinical, atrial, and EAT characteristics of patients with and without AFR were compared. Logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors and to build a model for predicting recurrence. The relationship between EAT characteristics and recurrence was analysed for the subtypes of AF.The AFR group had a larger left atrial anteroposterior diameter (47.4±7.4 vs 43.7±8.0 mm), left-right diameter (78.6±7.9 vs 74.7±9.1 mm), and volume (145.9 vs 127.0 ml) than the nonrecurrence group (P=0.021, 0.037, 0.015, respectively). The total EAT volume in the AFR group was significantly larger than that in the non-recurrence group, for both the overall and persistent AF groups (all P<0.1). The periatrial EAT volume of the AFR group was significantly larger than that of the nonrecurrence group for those with persistent AF (P=0.047, 0.048, 0.048, 0.031for 4 attenuation ranges).The total EAT volume and left atrial anteroposterior diameter were independent risk factors for AFR (P=0.035, 0.045, respectively).The EAT volume and left atrial anteroposterior diameter were of great significance in predicting AFR.

    Keywords: Atrial fibrillation recurrence, epicardial adipose tissue, Atrial fibrillation ablation, computed tomography, Attenuation ranges

    Received: 04 Oct 2024; Accepted: 14 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Feng, Li, Bai, Tang, Zhao and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Xiaoyan Zhao, Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Center, Henan Key Laboratory of Hereditary Cardiovascular Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China

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