Materials and methods. 45 consecutive AF patients (mean age 55.2 ± 10.3 years, mean AF duration 49.0 ± 38.4 months) with different AF patterns scheduled for an initial ablation for AF and 15 healthy individuals (mean age 36.2 ± 12.6 years) without a history or symptoms of cardiovascular diseases were included. The total, as well as periatrial EAT volumes, were obtained on cardiac CT datasets with adjusted thresholds for fat detection.

Results. The mean difference (95% CI) of total EAT between healthy individuals and AF patients were 103 ml (74, 132 ml; p<0.01) and 33.6 ml (24.8, 42.4 ml; p<0.01) for periatrial EAT. Patients with persistent AF had slightly more total EAT volume but did not significantly differ from patients with paroxysmal AF or long-standing persistent AF.

Conclusion. Сardiac CT allows to reliably quantify the volume of EAT. Patients with AF have significantly large EAT volumes compared to individuals without a history of cardiovascular diseases. There is no significant difference in EAT volumes and distribution between patients with different patterns of AF.