Preperitoneal fat thickness determined by ultrasonography is correlated with coronary stenosis and lipid disorders in non-obese male subjects

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between preperitoneal fat thickness (PFT) determined by ultrasonography and the risk of coronary arterial disease, 130 non-obese patients with ischemic heart disease (77 men and 53 women) were examined. RESULTS: There was a positive correlation between PFT and coronary artery stenosis score (r = 0.212, P < 0.05). After dividing the patients by gender, the correlation was recognized only in men (r = 0.246, P < 0.05). Also, PFT was positively correlated to serum total cholesterol (r = 0.259, P < 0.01), triglyceride (r = 0.205, P < 0.05) and low density lipoprotein [LDL)-cholesterol (r = 0.205, P < 0.05), and negatively correlated to serum high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (r = 0.261, P < 0.01). Again, these correlations were found only in men, not in women. CONCLUSION: PFT shows good correlations with coronary artery stenosis score and dislipidemia, and may lead to the development of coronary artery disease in non-obese male subjects.