A new insight on imaging characteristics of pericoronary adipose tissue for cardiovascular risk

Cardiovascular events caused by atherosclerotic plaque are the leading causes of death worldwide. The change in pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) can dynamically reflect the inflammation activity of coronary artery, playing an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Recently, PCAT and EAT have been used to assess the atheromatous plaque from its formation and development to rupture, which are of great clinical value in predicting the risk of adverse cardiovascular events, as well as in evaluating the efficacy of cardiovascular drugs. Numerous literature have also reported that evaluating the pathophysiological changes of PCAT and EAT can be performed by non-invasive imaging techniques such as ultrasound, CT, MRI and PET-CT. This review mainly aimed to summarize the PCAT and EAT -related anatomy and physiological function and its correlation with cardiovascular risk by imaging examinations, providing a valuable clinical guidance for early diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of cardiovascular events.