1 Introduction
The relationship between
epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) and atrial fibrillation (AF) has become
a topic of great interest. Previous studies have demonstrated that EAT
is associated with the development of AF [1,2]. Excessive EAT
promotes adipose infiltration and fibrosis of myocardial, and affects
cardiac electrophysiological function through
pathophysiological
processes such as inflammation and oxidative stress, thus contributing
to the occurrence and development of AF [3]. Magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) can be used for EAT
examination, but their examination time is long and cost is high, and CT
has certain radiation, so it is difficult to be popularized in clinical
practice. The use of ultrasound to measure EAT thickness is a more
convenient and economical method, that is easy to be promoted and has
good reliability compared with MRI in measuring EAT thickness [4].
To further explore the relationship between EAT and AF, our study
applied TTE to measure EAT thickness anterior the right ventricular free
wall in NVAF patients and analyzed its relationship with left atrial
phasic function to explore the possible mechanism between EAT and AF.