QUANTITATIVE MEASUREMENT OF NORMAL AND EXCESSIVE (COR ADIPOSUM) SUBEPICARDIAL ADIPOSE-TISSUE, ITS CLINICAL-SIGNIFICANCE, AND ITS EFFECT ON ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC QRS VOLTAGE

The hearts of most adults in the Western world contain varying amounts of fat, mainly in the subepicardial tissue. Although little attention is now given to these fatty deposits, about 100 years ago the fatty heart was considered to be the most common cause of sudden cardiac death.(1) The contribution of cardiac adipose tissue to cardiac weight has received no attention. This report describes the percentage of the cardiac mass consisting of adipose tissue and the total 12-lead QRS voltage in 30 adults without clinical evidence of cardiac disease, and summarizes real and potential clinical consequences of excessive subepicardial adipose tissue.