Does quantification of epicardial and intrathoracic fat volume provide an added prognostic value as an adjunct to coronary artery calcium score and myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography?
Quantification of EFV and IFV is associated with MACE and may improve risk stratification beyond traditional cardiovascular risk factors. However, once CAC score and/or SPECT-MPI results are known, EFV and IFV do not provide any added clinically relevant prognostic value. Further studies may identify the subpopulation with the largest relative merit of EFV and IFV as an adjunct to SPECT-MPI and CAC score.
A retrospective synopsis of these novel data on patients with MSA and groups of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy studied earlier suggest that eyeblink classical conditioning may contribute to the early differentiation of atypical Parkinson syndromes from idiopathic Parkinson's disease. This hypothesis should be tested in a prospective trial.