Quantification of Abdominal Fat in Obese and Healthy Adolescents Using 3 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Free Software for Image Analysis

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 1; p. e0167625
• Main Authors: Eloi, Juliana Cristina, Epifanio, Matias, de Gonçalves, Marília Maia, Pellicioli, Augusto, Vieira, Patricia Froelich Giora, Dias, Henrique Bregolin, Bruscato, Neide, Soder, Ricardo Bernardi, Santana, João Carlos Batista, Mouzaki, Marialena, Baldisserotto, Matteo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 27.01.2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Abdominal Fat - diagnostic imaging; Abdominal Fat - pathology; Adolescent; Adolescent obesity; Adolescents; Anthropometry; Background radiation; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood Glucose; Body Composition; Body mass index; Body measurements; Body weight; Cholesterol; Computed tomography; Computer programs; Correlation; Correlation analysis; Diagnosis; Female; Glucose metabolism; Health aspects; Health risk assessment; High density lipoprotein; Humans; Image analysis; Image processing; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Image quality; Insulin; Insulin Resistance - genetics; Intra-Abdominal Fat - diagnostic imaging; Ionizing radiation; Lipid metabolism; Magnetic resonance; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical examination; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolism; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Obesity; Obesity - diagnostic imaging; Obesity - pathology; Overweight; Overweight persons; People and Places; Radiation; Research and Analysis Methods; Social Sciences; Software; Software packages; Statistical tests; Studies; Subcutaneous Fat - diagnostic imaging; Subcutaneous Fat - pathology; Teenagers; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Triglycerides; Waist Circumference
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167625

Computed tomography, which uses ionizing radiation and expensive software packages for analysis of scans, can be used to quantify abdominal fat. The objective of this study is to measure abdominal fat with 3T MRI using free software for image analysis and to correlate these findings with anthropometric and laboratory parameters in adolescents. This prospective observational study included 24 overweight/obese and 33 healthy adolescents (mean age 16.55 years). All participants underwent abdominal MRI exams. Visceral and subcutaneous fat area and percentage were correlated with anthropometric parameters, lipid profile, glucose metabolism, and insulin resistance. Student's t test and Mann-Whitney's test was applied. Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare proportions. To determine associations Pearson's linear correlation or Spearman's correlation were used. In both groups, waist circumference (WC) was associated with visceral fat area (P = 0.001 and P = 0.01 respectively), and triglycerides were associated with fat percentage (P = 0.046 and P = 0.071 respectively). In obese individuals, total cholesterol/HDL ratio was associated with visceral fat area (P = 0.03) and percentage (P = 0.09), and insulin and HOMA-IR were associated with visceral fat area (P = 0.001) and percentage (P = 0.005). 3T MRI can provide reliable and good quality images for quantification of visceral and subcutaneous fat by using a free software package. The results demonstrate that WC is a good predictor of visceral fat in obese adolescents and visceral fat area is associated with total cholesterol/HDL ratio, insulin and HOMA-IR.