Wang LL, Xiong YB, Feng XY, Liu YY, Su KX, Jiang SY, Wang SY, Zhou L, Li SK, Guo DD, Li R. Computed tomography-based assessment of pericoronary adipose tissue in cardiovascular diseases: Diagnostic and prognostic implications. World J Radiol 2025; 17(6): 107281 [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v17.i6.107281]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Rui Li, MD, Doctor, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College and Sichuan Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging, Maoyuan South Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China. ddtwg_nsmc@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Ling-Li Wang, Xin-Yi Feng, Kai-Xiang Su, Si-Yu Jiang, Rui Li, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College and Sichuan Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
Yuan-Bo Xiong, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu Province, China
Ya-Yudie Liu, Si-Yu Wang, Ling Zhou, Shao-Ke Li, School of Medical Imaging, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
Dan-Dan Guo, Department of Radiology, Nanchong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China
Co-first authors: Ling-Li Wang and Yuan-Bo Xiong.
Co-corresponding authors: Dan-Dan Guo and Rui Li.
Author contributions: Wang LL and Xiong YB contributed to conducted literature review and wrote the manuscript; Feng XY, Liu YY, Su KX, Jiang SY, Wang SY, Zhou L and Li SK assisted in literature review; Li R and Guo DD supervised and provided final approval of the manuscript; All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Health Commission of the Sichuan Province Medical Science and Technology Program, China, No. 24WXXT10; the Sichuan Province Science and Technology Support Program, China, No. 2021YJ0242; and the 23rd Batch of Student Scientific Research Project Approval of Jiangsu University, China, No. Y23A164.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Rui Li, MD, Doctor, Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College and Sichuan Key Laboratory of Medical Imaging, Maoyuan South Road, Shunqing District, Nanchong 637000, Sichuan Province, China. ddtwg_nsmc@163.com
Received: March 20, 2025 Revised: April 5, 2025 Accepted: May 18, 2025 Published online: June 28, 2025 Processing time: 99 Days and 5.2 Hours
Abstract
Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of cardiovascular diseases due to its bidirectional communication with the coronary artery wall. In recent years, PCAT parameters measured using coronary computed tomography have emerged as potential noninvasive imaging biomarkers for quantifying coronary artery inflammation, with significant clinical value in the early detection, disease progression assessment, treatment efficacy evaluation, and prognosis prediction of cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, new technologies such as PCAT radiomics analysis have broadened its potential applications in evaluating coronary plaque vulnerability, predicting cardiovascular events, and improving risk stratification. This review discusses recent advances in PCAT research, focusing on its role in coronary artery disease risk identification and inflammation monitoring, and aims to offer imaging-based insights to support its future clinical use in cardiovascular disease management.
Core Tip: Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) is a key biomarker for coronary inflammation, assessed via coronary computed tomography. Advances in PCAT attenuation and radiomics improve prediction of cardiovascular events, plaque vulnerability, and risk stratification, offering imaging-based insights for early detection, monitoring, and treatment evaluation in cardiovascular disease management.
