Open AccessRole of cardiovascular ultrasound in the evaluation of obese subjects
Author(s) -
Francesco AntoniniCanterin,
Marco Pellegrinet,
Ricarda Marinigh,
Giuseppe Favretto
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of cardiovascular echography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.255
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 2347-193X
pISSN - 2211-4122
DOI - 10.4103/2211-4122.143961
Subject(s) - medicine , ventricle , obesity , cardiology , cardiovascular health , diastolic function , arterial stiffness , ultrasound , diastole , radiology , blood pressure , disease
Obesity represents a worldwide increasing health problem. Obesity, through complex and not fully understood pathogenetic mechanisms, induces different structural and functional changes of left heart chambers, right heart chambers, and arteries. Ultrasound techniques are the first choice for a comprehensive assessment of the cardiovascular adaptation to obesity. This review summarizes the up-to-date literature on the topic, with particular focus on the main clinical studies, which range over different cardiovascular adaptations to obesity, namely left ventricular mass, diastolic function, right ventricle structure and function, arterial stiffness, and intima-media thickness. Also, the importance of epicardial fat and of the degree of obesity is described. Finally, the role of weight loss and bariatric surgery and the study of cardiovascular obesity-induced abnormalities in children and adolescent are discussed.