Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28838916›Full record

SynthesisJournal of the American Heart Association2017

Association of Epicardial Adipose Tissue and High-Risk Plaque Characteristics: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Nitesh Nerlekar, Adam J Brown, Rahul G Muthalaly, Andrew Talman, Thushan Hettige, James D Cameron, Dennis T L Wong

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of the American Heart Association, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 86 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
86citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

86 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Trial
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Epicardial adipose tissue in coronary microvascular disease.American heart journal plus : cardiology research and practice · 2026
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Is Adipose Tissue Inflammation the Culprit of Obesity-Associated Comorbidities?Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025
    Review
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article

26 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Nitesh NerlekarMonash Cardiovascular Research Centre, Monash University and MonashHeart, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia nitesh.nerlekar@monash.edu.
Adam J BrownMonash Cardiovascular Research Centre, Monash University and MonashHeart, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Rahul G MuthalalyMonash Cardiovascular Research Centre, Monash University and MonashHeart, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Andrew TalmanMonash Cardiovascular Research Centre, Monash University and MonashHeart, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Thushan HettigeMonash Cardiovascular Research Centre, Monash University and MonashHeart, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
James D CameronMonash Cardiovascular Research Centre, Monash University and MonashHeart, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Dennis T L WongMonash Cardiovascular Research Centre, Monash University and MonashHeart, Monash Health, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEpicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is hypothesized to alter atherosclerotic plaque composition, with potential development of high-risk plaque (HRP). EAT can be measured by volumetric assessment (EAT-v) or linear thickness (EAT-t). We performed a systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis to assess the association of EAT with HRP and whether this association is dependent on the measurement method used. METHODS AND

resultsElectronic databases were systematically searched up to October 2016. Studies reporting HRP by computed tomography or intracoronary imaging and studies measuring EAT-v or EAT-t were included. Odds ratios were extracted from multivariable models reporting the association of EAT with HRP and described as pooled estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Analysis was stratified by EAT measurement method. Nine studies (n=3772 patients) were included with 7 measuring EAT-v and 2 measuring EAT-t. Increasing EAT was significantly associated with the presence of HRP (odds ratio: 1.26 [95% CI, 1.11-1.43];

conclusionsIncreasing EAT is associated with the presence of HRP, and patients with HRP have higher quantified EAT-v. The association of EAT-v with HRP is significant compared with EAT-t; however, a larger scale study is still required, and further evaluation is needed to assess whether EAT may be a potential therapeutic target for novel pharmaceutical agents. CLINICAL

trial registrationURL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/. Unique identifier: CRD42017055473.

Indexed as

AdiposityPlaque, AtheroscleroticAdipose TissueAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCoronary Artery DiseaseCoronary VesselsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedMultivariate AnalysisOdds RatioPericardiumRisk Assessmentepicardial fathigh‐risk plaquemeta‐analysisvulnerable plaque

Identifiers

PMID28838916
PMCPMC5586465

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.