Correlation Between CT Body Fat Distribution and Carotid Plaque Characteristics

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the relationship between CT body fat distribution and the characteristics of carotid artery plaques. Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and imaging data of 50 patients who underwent CT examination in our hospital. Within 2 weeks, 50 patients were required to undergo abdominal CT and head CTA examinations. Transfer various data to the workstation and conduct research and analysis on the type of carotid artery plaque and degree of stenosis evaluated by CT angiography of the patient's head and neck. Determine the type of carotid artery plaque in patients and divide them into stable plaque group and unstable plaque group. According to the degree of carotid artery stenosis, patients are divided into no/mild stenosis group and moderate/severe stenosis group. Compare clinical laboratory indicators separately. Use SPSS21.0 statistical software for data processing. The measurement data in line with normal distribution were compared between the two groups by t test; The measurement data of non normal distribution were compared between the two groups by Mann Whitney U test. The difference was statistically significant with P<0.05. The VFA/SFA ratio was higher in the unstable plaque group than in the stable plaque group, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P=0.028); There was no statistically significant difference in VFA and SFA between the two groups (P=0.106, 0.695); The total cholesterol in the unstable plaque group was lower than that in the stable plaque group, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.052). The incidence rate of coronary heart disease in patients with moderate/severe stenosis was higher than that in patients with no/mild stenosis, and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P=0.037); The quantitative parameters of CT body fat distribution (VFA, SFA, VFA/SFA ratio) showed no statistically significant differences between the no/mild stenosis group and the moderate/severe stenosis group (P values>0.05). Conclusion: The quantitative parameter VFA/SFA ratio of abdominal fat is closely related to the stability of carotid artery plaques. The higher the VFA/SFA ratio, the poorer the stability of plaques.