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.