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Assessment of epicardial adipose tissue volume and carotid intima-media thickness in children with primary arterial hypertension by magnetic resonance imaging Cover

Assessment of epicardial adipose tissue volume and carotid intima-media thickness in children with primary arterial hypertension by magnetic resonance imaging

Radiology and Oncology
Volume 59 (2025): Issue 3 (September 2025)
By: Nina Schweighofer,  Natasa Marcun Varda,  Primoz Caf,  Mitja Rupreht,  Vojko Kanic and  Petra Povalej Brzan  
Open Access
|May 2025

Figures & Tables

FIGURE 1.

Cine segmented steady-state free-precession MRI of the heart in 14-years-old boy diagnosed with arterial hypertension. Contours of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) are outlined by hand on end diastolic short-axis image. The EAT volume (EATV) is 14.89 cm3.
Cine segmented steady-state free-precession MRI of the heart in 14-years-old boy diagnosed with arterial hypertension. Contours of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) are outlined by hand on end diastolic short-axis image. The EAT volume (EATV) is 14.89 cm3.

FIGURE 2.

The MR imaging of the common right carotid artery. T1-weighted dark blood fast-spin echo pulse sequence demonstrated adequate soft tissue contrast. The intimamedia thickness of the vessel wall is outlined.
The MR imaging of the common right carotid artery. T1-weighted dark blood fast-spin echo pulse sequence demonstrated adequate soft tissue contrast. The intimamedia thickness of the vessel wall is outlined.

FIGURE 3.

The MR imaging of the right common carotid artery. The measurements of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in a healthy 14-year-old boy. The calculated average cIMT was 0.3 mm.
The MR imaging of the right common carotid artery. The measurements of carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) in a healthy 14-year-old boy. The calculated average cIMT was 0.3 mm.

FIGURE 4.

Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC) values were used to assess the performance of potential predictors for hypertension. cIMT = carotid intima-media thickness; EATV = epicardial adipose tissue volume
Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC) values were used to assess the performance of potential predictors for hypertension. cIMT = carotid intima-media thickness; EATV = epicardial adipose tissue volume

Regression models for predicting cardiac intima-media thickness (cIMT) based on age, gender, body surface area (BSA), epicardial adipose tissue volume (EATV) and the presence of hypertension

Model 1 β (SE)Model 2 β (SE)
Constant-0.285 (0.110)-0.175 (0.042)
EATV0.050 (0.007)*0.053 (0.003)*
Age-0.001 (0.006)
Gender (female)0.014 (0.025)
BSA0.087 (0.070)
Hypertension (yes)0.008 (0.045)
R-squared0.8220.818
Adjusted R-squared0.8090.815
Number of observations7272

Regression models for predicting carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) based on age, sex, body surface area (BSA) and the presence of hypertension

Model 1 β (SE)Model 2 β (SE)Model 3 β (SE)
Constant-0.221 (0.141)-0.218 (0.124)-0.144 (0.114)
Age0.011 (0.008)0.011 (0.008)
Gender (female)0.001 (0.033)
BSA0.260 (0.084)*0.258 (0.074)*0.313 (0.064)*
Hypertension (yes)0.273 (0.026)*0.273 (0.026)*0.267 (0.026)*
R-squared0.7020.7020.698
Adjusted R-squared0.6840.6980.684
Number of observations727272

Predictors of hypertension

PredictorAUC (95% CI)ThresholdSenSpecPPVNPV
EATV0.992 (0.981, 0.992)13.5450.9440.9720.9710.946
cIMT0.958 (0.917, 0.958)0.5500.9170.9440.9430.919

Comparing epicardial adipose tissue volume and intima-media thickness between groups

All (N = 72)Children with AH (N = 36)Healthy children (N = 36)Test value (p-value)
VariableMV ± SD / M (IQR)MV ± SD / M (IQR)MV ± SD / M (IQR)
EATV (cm3)13.7 ± 3.316.5 ± 1.910.9 ± 1.5t = -13.815 (< 0.001)*
cIMT (mm)0.5 (0.3)0.7 (0.2)0.4 (0.2)U = 54 (< 0.001)*
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/raon-2025-0030 | Journal eISSN: 1581-3207 | Journal ISSN: 1318-2099
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Language: English
Page range: 319 - 328
Submitted on: Dec 23, 2024
|
Accepted on: Mar 21, 2025
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Published on: May 14, 2025
Published by: Association of Radiology and Oncology
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year
Keywords:
epicardial adipose tissue,
arterial hypertension,
magnetic resonance imaging,
children,
atherosclerosis,
intima-media thickness
Related subjects:
Medicine,
Clinical medicine,
Internal medicine,
Haematology, oncology,
Radiology

© 2025 Nina Schweighofer, Natasa Marcun Varda, Primoz Caf, Mitja Rupreht, Vojko Kanic, Petra Povalej Brzan, published by Association of Radiology and Oncology
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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