Whole-Body MRI-Based Fat Quantification: A Comparison to Air Displacement Plethysmography

PurposeTo demonstrate the feasibility of an algorithm for MRI whole-body quantification of internal and subcutaneous fat and quantitative comparison of total adipose tissue to air displacement plethysmography (ADP). Materials and MethodsFor comparison with ADP, whole-body MR data of 11 volunteers were obtained using a continuously moving table Dixon sequence. Resulting fat images were corrected for B1 related intensity inhomogeneities before fat segmentation. ResultsThe performed MR measurements of the whole body provided a direct comparison to ADP measurements. The segmentation of subcutaneous and internal fat in the abdomen worked reliably with an accuracy of 98%. Depending on the underlying model for fat quantification, the resultant MR fat masses represent an upper and a lower limit for the true fat masses. In comparison to ADP, the results were in good agreement with 0.97, P<0.0001. ConclusionWhole-body fat quantities derived noninvasively by using a continuously moving table Dixon acquisition were directly compared with ADP. The accuracy of the method and the high reproducibility of results indicate its potential for clinical applications. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;40:1437-1444. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.