Pericoronary Adipose Tissue

Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT), the fat surrounding coronary arteries, is increasingly recognized as a significant indicator of cardiovascular risk, potentially reflecting coronary inflammation. Current research focuses on developing accurate and automated methods for quantifying PCAT characteristics like volume and attenuation using various imaging modalities, including CT angiography and chest radiographs, employing techniques such as deep learning (e.g., nnUNet, CycleGAN) and radiomics analysis. These efforts aim to improve cardiovascular risk assessment by providing objective, non-invasive biomarkers, potentially leading to earlier diagnosis and intervention strategies. However, challenges remain in accounting for confounding factors like iodine contrast and acquisition timing in CT scans.