Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30740509›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of cardiology. Heart & vasculature2019

Is epicardial fat tissue associated with atrial fibrillation recurrence after ablation? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Alireza Sepehri Shamloo, Nikolaos Dagres, Boris Dinov, Philipp Sommer, Daniella Husser-Bollmann, Andreas Bollmann, Gerhard Hindricks, Arash Arya

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of cardiology. Heart & vasculature, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
42citing papers in PubMed, 1 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

42 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Association of Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thickness With Heart Rate Variability and Electrocardiographic Markers of Electrical Heterogeneity in Obesity.Annals of noninvasive electrocardiology : the official journal of the International Society for Holter and Noninvasive Electrocardiology, Inc · 2026
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  16. 2024 European Heart Rhythm Association/Heart Rhythm Society/Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society/Latin American Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation.Europace : European pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac electrophysiology : journal of the working groups on cardiac pacing, arrhythmias, and cardiac cellular electrophysiology of the European Society of Cardiology · 2024
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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

8 authors.

Alireza Sepehri ShamlooDepartment of Electrophysiology, Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Nikolaos DagresDepartment of Electrophysiology, Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Boris DinovDepartment of Electrophysiology, Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Philipp SommerDepartment of Electrophysiology, Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Daniella Husser-BollmannDepartment of Electrophysiology, Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Andreas BollmannDepartment of Electrophysiology, Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Gerhard HindricksDepartment of Electrophysiology, Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Arash AryaDepartment of Electrophysiology, Heart Center Leipzig at University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionAlthough an undoubted association between epicardial fat tissue (EFT) and atrial fibrillation (AF) has been recently approved, the association between EFT and post-ablation AF recurrence is not evident yet. This study aimed to assess the association between EFT and AF recurrence after ablation.

methodsThe present study was a systematic review and meta-analysis using related literature available in electronic databases until July 2018 via "atrial fibrillation" and "epicardial fat" as the main keywords. Considering the different methods of EFT measurement, three different pooled meta-analyses were conducted in this study including: 1) comparison of total EFT volume, 2) left atrium (LA)-EFT volume, and 3) EFT thickness between two groups with and without AF recurrence estimating standardized mean difference (SMD) through a random and non-random effect meta-analysis. Statistical analysis was also performed using Comprehensive Meta-analysis (CMA) Software.

resultsFollowing a search into a total number of 518 articles, the findings of 12 studies published in 10 articles were enrolled in this meta-analysis. Accordingly, the results of meta-analysis showed that LA-EFT and total EFT volumes were higher in recurrent subjects (LA-EFT: SMD = 0.862 ml; I

conclusionThe total EFT and LA-EFT volumes, as well as EFT thickness, seemed to be associated with AF recurrence in patients undergoing AF ablation.

Indexed as

Adipose tissueAtrial fibrillationEpicardial fatPrognosisRecurrenceRisk assessment

Identifiers

PMID30740509
PMCPMC6356021

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.