Body composition assessment after pediatric liver transplant
Alissa D Perteet-Jackson1, Carrie P Earthman2, Kathleen L Price3
1Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA.
Insights
Body composition assessment in pediatric liver transplant recipients is crucial for monitoring nutritional status. Air displacement plethysmography and multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis provide comparable results for assessing body fat in these children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- Clinical Nutrition
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Pediatric liver transplantation aims to restore metabolic function, but some children experience malnutrition, increased adiposity, or obesity post-transplant.
- Accurate assessment of body composition is vital for managing nutritional status and mitigating adverse outcomes in pediatric liver transplant recipients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe weight gain quality in pediatric liver transplant recipients (ages 2-17) using multiple assessment tools.
- To evaluate the accuracy of multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MF-BIA) and ultrasound in determining body composition and weight gain quality.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving pediatric liver transplant recipients.
- Utilized anthropometric measurements, air displacement plethysmography (ADP), multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MF-BIA), and ultrasound measurements.
- Compared body composition data obtained from ADP and MF-BIA.
Main Results:
- Mean percent body fat measured by ADP and MF-BIA showed no statistically significant difference (18.4% vs. 19.0%, P > .99).
- Insufficient data were available to correlate ultrasound-derived muscle and adipose tissue thickness with body fat percentages from ADP or MF-BIA.
Conclusions:
- ADP and MF-BIA yield comparable measures of percent body fat, fat mass, and fat-free mass in pediatric liver transplant recipients.
- The stand-on MF-BIA device shows potential as a reliable tool for body composition assessment in this pediatric population.
Background:
Pediatric liver transplantation generally restores metabolic function; yet after transplantation, some children remain malnourished, have increased adiposity, and develop obesity. Measurement of body composition in the assessment of nutrition status could reduce adverse consequences in children.
Methods:
Anthropometric measurements, multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis, air displacement plethysmography, and ultrasound measurements were conducted on children recruited from the liver transplant program at the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted to describe the quality of weight gain in post-liver transplant children between the ages of 2 and 17 years using multiple assessment tools (air displacement plethysmography, multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis, and ultrasound) and to determine whether multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis and ultrasound accurately describe body composition and quality of weight gain.
Results:
Mean percent body fat by air displacement plethysmography and multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis was 18.4% (±3.3) and 19.0% (±3.9), respectively (P > .99). There were insufficient data to examine the relationship between summed muscle and adipose thickness measures by ultrasound and percent body fat determined by air displacement plethysmography or multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis.
Conclusion:
Percent body fat, fat mass, and fat-free mass measures determined by air displacement plethysmography and multiple-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis were not statistically different, which suggests the stand-on device used in this study could be a useful body composition assessment tool for the pediatric population.
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