Association between single-slice measurements of visceral and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue with volumetric measurements: the Framingham Heart Study

Abstract

Objective: Volumetric visceral abdominal adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (SAT) as measured by computed tomography (CT) are associated with metabolic risk factors. We sought to identify the correlations of VAT and SAT between area-based measures at different anatomic locations with volumetric measurements to identify the optimal anatomic site, and to relate measurements at this site with metabolic risk factors. Methods: We measured SAT and VAT volumes across the total imaging volume, whereas we measured SAT and VAT area at seven predefined anatomic landmarks in 200 participants from the Framingham Heart Study (mean age 54 years, 50% women) who underwent abdominal multi-detector CT. Correlation coefficients were used to assess the association between area measurements and volumes as well as metabolic risk factors stratified by gender. Results: Area-based measurements of SAT and VAT obtained at all anatomic landmarks were strongly associated with SAT and VAT volumes (all r40.93, Po0.0001 and r40.87, Po0.0001, for women and men; respectively). Consistently, area-based measurements of SAT and VAT obtained at L 3/4 were most strongly associated with volumetric measured VAT and SAT independent of age (both r ¼ 0.99 in men, r ¼ 0.96 for SAT and r ¼ 0.99 for VAT in women, all P-value o0.0001) and were similarly correlated with risk factors compared with SAT and VAT volumes (all Po0.05 for fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, systolic blood pressure). Conclusion: Among area-based measurements of SAT and VAT, those obtained at the level of L 3/4 were strongly associated with SAT and VAT volumes and cardio-metabolic risk factors in both men and women.

Visceral Adipose Tissue Volume Estimated at Imaging Sites 5-6 cm Above L4-L5 Is Optimal for Predicting Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Obese Japanese Men

“…Shen et al (2007) found that VAT measurement areas located 5-10 cm above L4-L5 have higher correlations with CVD risk factors than the VAT area at the traditional L4-L5 level after adjusting for age, race, and menopausal status. Recent findings by Irlbeck et al (2010) also indicated that single-slice image area measurements of the VAT at L2-L3 and L3-L4 (e.g., 2-6 cm above L4-L5) had strong associations with CVD risk factors in men in a cross-sectional study. We would recommend that, if only a small number of images or a single-slice image is to be analyzed, the image should be taken 5-10 cm above L4-L5, rather than at L4-L5 to best evaluate CVD risk factors.…”

“…However, recent studies of Caucasian (Kuk et al 2006), White and African-American cohorts (Demerath et al 2007b) have indicated that the commonly used L4-L5 image site may not be the best location to estimate the VAT volume, whereas the findings for Asian people remain unclear. Furthermore, it is suggested that L4-L5 may not be an appropriate site for investigating the association between VAT and CVD risk factors (Kvist et al 1988;Abate et al 1997;Kuk et al 2006;Demerath et al 2007a;Shen et al 2007;Irlbeck et al 2010).…”

Adipose tissue quantity and composition contribute to adipokine concentrations in the subclavian vein and the inferior mesenteric vein

“…Using a single CT-slice at the level of L3/L4 of the lumbar spine, SAT area and VAT area were measured, according to the method described by Irlbeck et al 15 The muscular abdominal wall was manually traced in order to separate VAT from SAT as the regions of interest. By adjusting the display settings to a window width of À195 to À45 Hounsfield units, the area of adipose tissue could selectively be measured (ImageJ v1.42q, developed by the NIH).…”

The methods for the characteristic of adipose tissue in the organism and their clinical significance

“…Ис-следования ВЖТ на данном уровне показывают максимальную воспроизводимость и высокую точ-ность измерений. В ряде работ [29,30] показано, что оценка ВЖТ на 5-6 см выше L4-L5 является более точной при проведении МРТ и КТ в динамике.…”