A large multicentre study reveals that routine cardiac CT scans can predict heart failure up to five years before clinical onset by analyzing the biological properties of epicardial fat. This new approach, called fat radiomic profile for heart failure (FRPHF), extracts over 1,600 radiomic features from epicardial fat during coronary CT angiography.
In a study of over 72,000 adults without prior heart failure, FRPHF demonstrated strong predictive performance over a 4-5 year follow-up. A higher radiomic score significantly correlated with increased heart failure risk, with individuals in the highest decile facing nearly 20 times greater risk. Adding this radiomic profile to standard risk models significantly improved prediction accuracy.
This technology could repurpose routine cardiac CT scans for risk stratification, enabling earlier identification of high-risk individuals and supporting targeted prevention strategies for heart failure. This marks a significant step towards precision prevention in cardiovascular medicine.