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Fast and reproducible method for the direct quantitation of adipose tissue in newborn infants
T A M Harrington1, E L Thomas, N Modi
1The Robert Steiner MRI Unit, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
Insights
Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) offers a fast and reproducible method for measuring infant body fat. This noninvasive technique is ideal for studying adipose tissue distribution in newborns.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Medical Imaging
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Infant body fat content and distribution are gaining research interest.
- Existing methods for adult body fat assessment are often unsuitable for infants, particularly for regional analysis.
- Understanding infant adipose tissue is crucial for assessing health and development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol for quantifying adipose tissue in newborn infants.
- To assess the reproducibility and feasibility of MRI for infant body fat measurement.
- To characterize the total and regional body fat distribution in a cohort of newborn infants.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of a whole-body MRI-based protocol for rapid and reproducible adipose tissue measurement.
- Calculation of intra-observer and inter-observer variability for the MRI measurements.
- Analysis of total body fat percentage and regional fat distribution (subcutaneous vs. internal).
Main Results:
- The developed MRI protocol demonstrated high reproducibility with intra-observer variability <2.4% and inter-observer variability <7%.
- Total body fat in the infant cohort ranged from 13.3% to 22.6% (mean 16.6% ± 2.9%), consistent with existing data.
- Subcutaneous fat comprised over 89% of total body fat, with internal fat accounting for nearly 11%.
Conclusions:
- Whole-body MRI is a suitable, noninvasive method for accurately measuring adipose tissue content and distribution in newborn infants.
- The protocol's reproducibility makes it valuable for longitudinal and interventional studies in neonates.
- No significant gender differences in total or regional body fat were observed in this cohort.
Abstract:
The role of body fat content and distribution in infants is becoming an area of increasing interest, especially as perception of its function appears to be rapidly evolving. Although a number of methods are available to estimate body fat content in adults, many are of limited use in infants, especially in the context of regional distribution and internal depots. In this study we developed and implemented a whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based protocol that allows fast and reproducible measurements of adipose tissue content in newborn infants, with an intra-observer variability of <2.4% and an inter-observed variability of <7%. The percentage total body fat for this cohort of infants ranged from 13.3-22.6% (mean and standard deviation: 16.6 +/- 2.9%), which agrees closely with published data. Subcutaneous fat accounted for just over 89% of the total body fat, whereas internal fat corresponded to almost 11%, most of which was nonabdominal fat. There were no gender differences in total or regional body fat content. These results show that whole-body MRI can be readily applied to the study of adipose tissue content and distribution in newborn infants. Furthermore, its noninvasive nature makes it an ideal method for longitudinal and interventional studies in newborn infants.
