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Comparing muscle mass in children with high-risk neuroblastoma using magnetic resonance imaging and bioelectrical
Xia Chen1, Jinhu Wang2, Yi Zheng3
1Department of Clinical Nutrition, Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, Hangzhou, China.
Insights
Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) accurately measures muscle mass in pediatric high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NBL) patients, correlating well with MRI. Weight is a key factor influencing muscle mass differences in body composition analysis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Body Composition Analysis
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) shows strong correlation with MRI for muscle mass assessment.
- Limited research exists on BIA and MRI for muscle mass in pediatric high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NBL).
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the clinical relevance of BIA-based and MRI-based muscle mass assessment in pediatric HR-NBL patients.
- To compute the relationship between BIA and MRI muscle mass measurements before surgery.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective data collection from 32 pediatric HR-NBL patients (aged 3-18 years).
- Skeletal muscle cross-sectional area measured via MRI (L4 lumbar level).
- Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) estimated using Multi-Frequency Body Composition Analyzer (InBody S10).
Main Results:
- Strong positive correlation (r=0.956) between BIA- and MRI-measured SMM.
- Concordance correlation coefficient of 0.862; mean bias of 0.319 kg (BIA overestimated SMM).
- Weight identified as a significant predictor (P<0.001) of muscle mass variance (R²=0.788).
Conclusions:
- BIA measurements demonstrate good correlation and agreement with MRI for monitoring muscle mass in pediatric HR-NBL.
- Weight is a significant predictor of muscle mass differences in human body composition.
Background:
Evidence from recent years suggests that bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), or BIA-based assessments of muscle mass, are strongly correlated with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based assessments of muscle mass. Nevertheless, no research has examined how the two approaches relate to kids with high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NBL). This study examined the clinical relevance of BIA-based and MRI-based muscle mass assessment. Before surgery, we computed the relationship between muscle mass measurements made using BIA and MRI in HR-NBL patients.
Methods:
We retrospectively collected data for patients aged 3 to 18 years who were newly diagnosed with HR-NBL at the Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from November 2023 to November 2024. L4 lumbar levels were identified on axial MRI images, and we measured skeletal muscle cross-sectional area. The Multi-Frequency Body Composition Analyzer InBody S10 (Biospace Co., Ltd., Seoul, Korea) was used to estimate skeletal muscle mass (SMM). The analysis included 32 children.
Results:
The median patient age was 4.8 years (range, 4.03-6.2 years); 56.3% of the patients were boys, and 43.7% were girls. SMM measured by BIA showed a strong positive correlation with MRI-measured SMM in patients (r=0.956, P<0.001). The concordance correlation coefficient for SMM was 0.862, with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.799-0.905. The SMM showed a mean bias of 0.319±1.326 kg, indicating that the BIA method overestimated SMM by 0.319 kg compared to MRI. The Bland-Altman analysis suggests that most participants were within the limits of agreement (LoA). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that weight was a significant predictor of the outcome variable in the models tested. In the multiple regression model, weight (estimate =0.229, P<0.001) was significantly associated with the outcome, and the model explained 78.8% of the variance (R2=0.788).
Conclusions:
In conclusion, in monitoring muscle mass in pediatric HR-NBL patients, BIA measurements showed good correlation and agreement with MRI measurements. The multiple linear regression analysis shows that weight is a significant predictor of the difference in muscle mass in human body composition.
