Research

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Perivascular Fat Attenuation Index (FAI) measured via cardiac CT serves as a biomarker for coronary inflammation and predicts cardiac mortality, with values above -70.1 HU indicating a 6- to 9-fold higher adjusted risk of future cardiac mortality.

If you are getting a heart scan for chest pain, ask your doctor about the Fat Attenuation Index (FAI). This AI-enhanced measurement looks at the fat around your heart arteries to detect hidden inflammation. A high FAI score means your risk of a heart event is much higher, even if your arteries don't look blocked yet. This helps doctors treat you before a major problem occurs.

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Higher perivascular FAI values around the proximal right coronary artery (RCA) and left anterior descending (LAD) arteries were linked to a higher adjusted risk of both all-cause and cardiac mortality... a cut-off of −70.1 HU was ascertained and was associated with a 6- to 9-fold higher adjusted risk of future cardiac mortality in the two independent cohorts.
Murray Polkinghorne et al. · CardioMetabolic Syndrome Journal · 2022

Why this rating

Based on multi-centre studies with up to 4,000 patients and 10-year follow-up, though it is observational.

Source

The Role of Perivascular Fat in the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Atherosclerosis

Murray Polkinghorne et al. · CardioMetabolic Syndrome Journal · 2022

DOI 10.51789/cmsj.2023.3.e1

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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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