Quantification of liver fat using magnetic resonance spectroscopy

• Published in: Magnetic resonance imaging Vol. 12; no. 3; pp. 487 - 495
• Main Authors: Thomsen, Carsten, Becker, Ulrik, Winkler, Kjeld, Christoffersen, Per, Jensen, Mikael, Henriksen, Ole
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 1994; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Biopsy; Digestive system; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic - metabolism; Fatty Liver, Alcoholic - pathology; Female; Humans; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Lipids - analysis; Liver - chemistry; Liver - pathology; Liver fat; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Liver fat; Human; Liver; Digestive diseases; Hepatic disease; Exploration; Lipids; NMR spectrometry; Diagnosis; Localized; Quantitative analysis; Steatosis
• ISSN: 0730-725X; 1873-5894
• DOI: 10.1016/0730-725X(94)92543-7

Localized proton MR spectroscopy using stimulated echoes was used to quantify the liver fat concentration in patients with various degrees of fatty liver due to alcohol abuse. Ten patients underwent a liver biopsy followed by chemical triglyceride estimation of the fatty content. A statistically significant correlation was found between the fat concentration measured in the liver biopsies, and the concentration calculated from the spectroscopic experiments ( r = 0.9, p < .001). Quantitative assessment of liver fat concentrations using localized spectroscopy is superior to methods based on differences in relaxation times, and can be used to estimate the fat concentration over the full range of fat content in contrast to the spectroscopic imaging methods. Localized spectroscopy may replace liver biopsy in the diagnosis of diffuse fatty infiltrations, and can be used for follow-up, due to its noninvasive nature.