Diagnosis of silent myocardial ischemia and cardiovascular risk stratification according to imaging methods in patients with different variants of adipose tissue distribution

Purpose. To identify the peculiarities of perfusion disorders, and stratify cardiovascular risk in asymptomatic patients with different variants of adipose tissue distribution.
Materials and methods. Our research included 80 patients with episodes of asymptomatic diagnostically significant ST-segment depression detected during daily electrocardiogram monitoring (daily ECG). These patients were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of 47 patients with abdominal obesity (АО+), and the second group – without АО (АО-). The first group was further divided into two subgroups depending on the volume of epicardial adipose tissue (with and without epicardial obesity): (EO+) and (EO-). Daily ECG monitoring, multispiral computed tomography (MSCT) with calculation of indicators of epicardial adipose tissue and calcium score (CS), stress single-photon emission computed tomography (stress-SPECT) of the myocardium were held. Summed stress score (SSS) was used for cardiac risk stratification.
Results. Daily ECG monitoring revealed that the total duration of ST-segment depression per day and the number of episodes were greater in the AO+ group compared to the AO- group. Perfusion defects were found in 93.75% of patients (including 95.7% in the AO+ group and 90.9% in the AO- group) during SPECT. There were no significant differences in the values and area of the perfusion defect at rest and after the stress test between the AO+ and AO- groups. In the subgroup of patients with EO+, more complex types of rhythm disturbances prevailed. The EO+ group exhibited higher values of CS, stress-SPECT showed induced deterioration of myocardial perfusion, and 21.7% of patients had an SSS score of more than 8, corresponding to a moderate risk of myocardial infarction and cardiac death.
Conclusions. SPECT of the myocardium verified perfusion defects in 93.75% of the patients included in the research. There were no significant intergroup differences in the parameters characterizing myocardial perfusion defects depending on the presence of AO. Myocardial ischemia was more pronounced among patients with EO and was accompanied by significant arrhythmias. The individuals with epicardial obesity exhibited more pronounced calcification of the coronary arteries compared to patients without epicardial obesity. The obtained data indicate that epicardial obesity is a factor that increases cardiovascular risk in patients with silent myocardial ischemia.

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