Table 3.

Comparison of methods for detecting EAT.

Method	Index	Standard	Advantages	Disadvantages
MRI	thickness/ volumetric	the greatest amount of epicardial fat can be found at the lateral right ventricular wall, using the summation of slices method	gold standard, radiation-free, not limited by the position and orientation of the imaging planes	Costly, time-intensive
CT imaging*	thickness/ volumetric	performed along the right ventricular anterior free wall in a single sagittal slice, ranging -190 to -30 Hounsfield units	higher spatial resolution, reproducibility, best visibility of the pericardium	Costly, radiation exposure
Via transthoracic echocardiographic ultrasound	thickness	on the free wall of the right ventricle, normal values: around 5mm	relatively inexpensive, widely available	linear measurement, low reproducibility
EAT attenuation as measured by CT*	mean attenuation	EAT attenuation was calculated as mean Hounsfield units of all pixels ([-190, -30]HU)	markers of adipose tissue inflammation
FDG-PET/computerized tomography*	EAT inflammatory activity	analysis differences between SUV in different locations	reflect glucose metabolism of the tissue

CT computed tomography, FDG-PET 18-fluorodeoxy glucose -positron emission tomography, SUV Maximal standardized uptake value

*no meta-analysis has yet defined normal and pathological values