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Ultrasound assessment of malnutrition in infancy: a pilot case-control study
Meng-Fan Tai1,2, Ruth Bvalani3, Bazwell Nkhalema4
1Paediatrics and Child Health Research Group, Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme, Blantyre, Malawi.
Insights
Ultrasound body composition measurements show high reliability in infants. Malnourished infants exhibit significantly lower fat and muscle thickness compared to non-malnourished infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Medical Imaging
- Body Composition Analysis
Background:
- Accurate body composition assessment is crucial for infant nutritional status evaluation.
- Malnutrition in hospitalized infants requires reliable diagnostic tools.
- Ultrasound offers a non-invasive method for body composition measurement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability of ultrasound for infant body composition.
- To investigate differences in body composition between malnourished and non-malnourished infants.
- To assess the potential of ultrasound in identifying infant malnutrition.
Main Methods:
- Sonographic images were used to measure fat and muscle thickness in 9 malnourished and 9 non-malnourished hospitalized infants.
- Intra- and inter-rater reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC).
- Body composition measurements were compared between the two infant groups.
Main Results:
- High intra- and inter-rater reliability (ICC > 0.9) was observed for ultrasound body composition measurements.
- Malnourished infants showed significantly reduced fat thickness sum (45%) and muscle thickness sum (71%) compared to non-malnourished infants.
- Distinct differences in body composition were found between hospitalized malnourished and non-malnourished infants.
Conclusions:
- Ultrasound provides a reliable method for assessing infant body composition.
- Significant differences in fat and muscle mass exist between malnourished and non-malnourished infants.
- Ultrasound screening holds potential for nutritional status assessment in critically ill and high-risk infant populations.
Abstract:
This study aimed at determining the intra- and inter-rater reliability in ultrasound body composition measurements and investigating the differences between malnourished and non-malnourished infants. Sonographic images for measurements of fat and muscle thickness were compared between 9 malnourished and 9 non-malnourished hospitalized infants. The mean of fat and muscle thickness sums were 12.44 ± 7.58 mm and 28.98 ± 7.18 mm, respectively. The intra- and inter-rater intraclass correlation coefficient were above 0.9 for both measurements, indicating high intra- and inter-rater reliability. Compared to non-malnourished infants, malnourished infants have 45% of fat thickness sum and 71% of muscle thickness sum. Ultrasound measurements of body composition in infants were different between hospitalized malnourished and non-malnourished infants. This approach has the potential to be utilized more broadly, from assessing the nutritional status of critically ill infants in intensive care units to screening for malnutrition in high-risk infant populations.
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