Notes
This paper gives a brief overview of common non-invasive techniques for body composition analysis and a more in-depth review of a body composition assessment method based on fat-referenced quantitative MRI. Earlier published studies of this method are summarized, and a previously unpublished validation study, based on 4753 subjects from the UK Biobank imaging cohort, comparing the quantitative MRI method with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) is presented. For whole-body measurements of adipose tissue (AT) or fat and lean tissue (LT), DXA and quantitative MRIs show excellent agreement with linear correlation of 0.99 and 0.97, and coefficient of variation (CV) of 4.5 and 4.6 per cent for fat (computed from AT) and LT, respectively, but the agreement was found significantly lower for visceral adipose tissue, with a CV of >20 per cent. The additional ability of MRI to also measure muscle volumes, muscle AT infiltration and ectopic fat, in combination with rapid scanning protocols and efficient image analysis tools, makes quantitative MRI a powerful tool for advanced body composition assessment.
Application 6569
Organ specific fat measurements using MRI. A new quantitative imaging method with automated analysis.
The aim of the proposed study is to investigate relationships between fat distribution and other factors related to the metabolic syndrome. Most population studies are today using BMI, Waist to Hip ratio or total amount of body fat as measurements and biomarkers for obesity. Imaging methods are now being introduced and can offer improved accuracy and reproducibility for the biomarkers indicating obesity related diseases. A new automatic analysis method is here proposed for the analysis of abdominal MR images acquired within the UK Biobank study, offering a unique possibility to quantify abdominal fat distribution. These measures of fat distribution will be returned to the UK Biobank enabling access to these biomarkers for the research community, thereby supporting obesity-related research in line with the purpose of the UK Biobank. We expect that the proposed work, to quantify and localize fat volume in specific organs of importance, will enable identification of new and more specific biomarkers for chronic diseases where body composition plays an important role. This will have great impact in many of the proposed research projects starting or already started within UK Biobank. After MR scanning, we will analyse the data and quantify abdominal fat and subcutaneous fat in the abdominal region, as well as thigh muscle volume, using automated image analysis. These measures will then be correlated to other factors related to obesity and the metabolic syndrome, such as genetic and demographic data, life style and dietary information, blood analysis data and metabolic information. We intend to analyze the full cohort of the UK Biobank imaging study.
Lead investigator: | Dr Olof Dahlqvist Leinhard |
Lead institution: | Advanced MR Analytics AB |