Ultrasonographic extended-view technique for evaluation of abdominal fat distribution in lean women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective. To estimate whether, by using a new ultrasonographic technique (extended view; XTD view), young lean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have a more android fat distribution in comparison with normally menstruating women with ultrasonographic evidence of polycystic ovaries (PCO) and healthy control subjects, matched for both age and body mass index. Design. Prospective observational study. Setting. University Hospital. Sample. Forty-nine lean women with PCOS, 42 eumenorrheic women with bilateral PCO and 40 healthy volunteers with regular ovulatory cycles. Methods. Fasting blood sampling, ultrasonographic and Doppler analyses and blood pressure monitoring. Main Outcome Measures. Medical examination, biochemical and hormonal parameters, ultrasonographic abdominal fat measurements, ultrasonographic evaluation of carotid intima-media thickness and Doppler analysis of ophthalmic artery. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed to analyze glucose, insulin and C-peptide levels. Results. The XTD ultrasonographic preperitoneal area was significantly larger in women with PCOS than in control subjects (p=0.011). The preperitoneal/subcutaneous ratio was significantly higher in women with PCOS (1.1 +/- 0.26) compared with women with PCO (0.84 +/- 0.13; p=0.05) and control women (0.67 +/- 0.13; p<0.001). The mean pulsatility index of ophthalmic arteries was higher in the PCOS women (1.93 +/- 0.57) than in control subjects (1.84 +/- 0.38; p=0.041). Total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol were significantly higher in women with PCOS than in those with PCO and in control subjects. Conclusions. Women with PCOS have an android fat pattern correlated with an age-dependent increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.