Correlation between Abdominal Wall Subcutaneous Fat Thickness and Heart Weight in Southern Chinese Population / 法医学杂志

Objective To study the correlation between the abdominal wall subcutaneous fat thickness and heart weight, so as to provide reference for prediction methods of normal range of heart weight that is suitable for autopsy in China. Methods The forensic pathology autopsy cases accepted by Center for Medicolegal Expertise of Sun Yat-sen University from 1998 to 2017 were collected. Then the exclusion criteria were determined, and according to them the total case group was selected, and the 6 disease groups and the normal group were further selected from the total case group. The rank sum test was used to compare the heart weight of the normal group and the disease groups to determine the influence of diseases on heart weight. Then the Spearman rank correlation analysis of abdominal wall subcutaneous fat thickness and heart weight in different genders and different ages in the total case group and the normal group was conducted to get the correlation coefficient （rs）. Results In the total case group, correlation between abdominal wall subcutaneous fat thickness and heart weight was shown in males of all ages （P<0.05）; while in females, the correlation had no statistical significance （P>0.05） in 15-<20 age and 50-<60 age, but was statistically significant （P<0.05） in other age groups. For the males in the normal group, rs was respectively 0.411, 0.541 and 0.683 in the 15-<40 age, the 40-<60 age, and the ≥60 age. For the females, rs was respectively 0.249 and 0.317 in the 15-<40 age and the 40-<60 age. The correlation in the ≥60 age had no statistical significance（P>0.05）. Conclusion In the general population and the normal population, abdominal wall subcutaneous fat thickness is correlated with the heart weight of males. It is of significance to include the abdominal wall subcutaneous fat thickness in the prediction of normal range of heart weight for males in China.

Morphologic Study on Coronary Artery of Korean / 대한법의학회지

Measurements of the diameter of the coronary artery (left main, left anterior descending branch, left circumflex branch, right) and the length of the coronary artery (left main, left anterior descending) were performed in 77 cases obtained from corpses with normal and mild atherosclerosis of coronary artery. Fifty-six males and 21 females were studied whose ages ranged from 15 -78 years old. The diameter of the coronary artery exponentially increased in accordance with the increase of age (left main coronary artery: lumen diameter=1.847+0.216 X age, R2=0.632, p<0.01; left anterior descending branch: lumen diameter=1.513 +0.241 X age, R2=0.539, p<0.01; right coronary artery:lumen diameter=1.830 +0.193 X age, R2=0.513, p<0.01; left circumflex branch: lumen diame-ter= 1.470+0.159 X age, R2=0.502, p<0.01). The lumen diameter of the left main coronary artery, the length of the left anterior descending branch and the thickness of the left anterior descending branch exponentially increased in accordance with the increase of the heart weight(left main coronary artery: lumen diameter=1.721+0.031 X heart weight, R2=0.338, p<0.01; left anterior descending branch: length=7.114+0.103 X heart weight, R2=0.313, p<0.01; left anterior descending branch: wall thickness=0.226+0.009 X heart weight, R2=0.256, p<0.01). But no significant difference was observed between the diameter, length of the coronary artery and various body indices, and heart weight. Microscopic and immunohistochemical studies on coronary arteries of 77 cases showed high frequency of diffuse intimal thickening with many smooth muscle cells and scanty macrophages and fragmentation of internal elastic lamina in arteries without atherosclerosis. These results indicate that the lumen diameter of coronary artery is closely correlated with age but not with various body indices and heart weight, and the length of the anterior descending branch is closely correlated with heart weight but not with age and various body indices. The results of the microscopic and immunohistochemical studies indicate that the early event of the atherosclerosis of the coronary artery is intimal thickening and fragmentation of internal elastic lamina.

Relationship between normal heart size and body indices in Korean

We provided a curve-fit equation to predict the normal heart weight (g) in Koreans by examining 422 autopsies (215 males and 207 females, from newborn to age 77 yr) who were relatively in good general condition. Heart weight was well correlated with body surface area (m2), body weight (kg), and body height (cm) but poorly with age in both sex. Heart weight progressively increased from birth to the earlier 3rd and 4th decades in male and female, respectively, and then gradually decreased; mean heart weight of all age group was greater in male than in female and significantly different from birth to 4th decade. In both sex, heart weight exponentially increased in accordance with the increase of body height, body weight, and body surface (in male, heart weight=0.00312 x body height(2.239), r2=0.750, p<0.0001; in female, heart weight=0.00443 x body height(2170), r2=0.781, p<0.0001; in male, heart weight=9.22 x body weight(0.853), r2=0.770, p<0.0001; in female, heart weight=9.00 x body weight0.855, r2=0.820, p<0.0001; in male, heart weight=155.18 x body surface area1.290, r=0.808, p<0.0001; in female, heart weight=124.13 x body surface area1.242, r=0.834, p<0.0001). These results indicate that heart weight is better correlated with body surface area than with body weight; however, body weight should be a better determinant of a predicted heart weight, since body surface area is entirely dependent on body height and body weight.

Relation of Heart Weight to Body Weight, Body Surface Area, Height, and Age in Normal Korean Men and Women

Cardiovascular diseases have been the most serious threat to life and health. The socioeconomic ramifications of heart disease have long been a source of vexing legal as well as medical problems with no easy resolution as yet in hand. Heart weight, one of the important factors for the diagnosis of cardiomegaly and various heart diseases, shows extreme variability according to the height, weight, age, sex, nutritional status of individuals as well as other various factors. The purpose of this investigation was to find a practical method for calculating expected normal range of heart weight in a given individual. The study was performed on 259 autopsy cases of normal Korean men and women, consisting of 123 men and 136 women in age from newborn to 77 years old. Height, body weight, and heart weight were measured and the body surface area was calculated by height (cm)0.725 x weight (kg)0.425 x 71.84 and height (cm)0.7763 x weight (kg)0.4081 x 71.84 in men and women, respectively. The results showed that the mean heart weight of men and women older than 20 years old were 316.20 +/- 51.15 g (n=96) and 275.87 +/- 44.69 g (n=108), respectively. Heart weight was gradually increased according to the age. The body weight (men: r=0.81, women: r=0.84) and body surface area (men: r=0.83, women: r=0.83) were better univariate predictors of normal heart weight than body height (men: r=0.78, women: r=0.75) and age (men: r=0.42, women: r=0.57). No significant difference was found in predictive precision between body weight and body surface area. Since the body surface area was calculated from body weight and height, measuring the body weight was essential for calculating expected normal range of heart weight in a given individual, and calculation of expected normal range of heart weight using body weight was simpler method than using body surface area.