Abstract
BackgroundWe evaluated how carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and the echogenicity of the intima-media (IM-GSM), measured by ultrasound, were related to body composition, evaluated by both traditional imaging techniques, as well as with a new voxel-based “Imiomics” technique.MethodsIn 321 subjects all aged 50 years in the POEM study, IMT and IM-GSM were measured together with a DXA scan for determination of fat and lean mass. Also a whole-body MRI scan was performed and the body volume was divided into >1 million voxels in a standardized fashion. IMT and IM-GSM were related to each of these voxels to create a 3D-view of how these measurements were related to size of each part of the body.ResultsIM-GSM was inversely related to almost all traditional measurements of body composition, like fat and lean mass, liver fat, visceral and subcutaneous fat, but this was not seen for IMT. Using Imiomics, IMT was positively related to the intraabdominal fat volume, as well of the leg skeletal muscle in women. In males, IMT was mainly positively related to the leg skeletal muscle volume. IM-GSM was inversely related to the volume of the SAT in the upper part of the body, leg skeletal muscle, the liver and intraabdominal fat in both men and women.ConclusionThe voxel-based Imiomics technique provided a detailed view of how the echogenicity of the carotid artery wall was related to body composition, being inversely related to the volume of the major fat depots, as well as leg skeletal muscle.
Highlights
Intima-media thickness (IMT) and the echogenicity of the intima-media (IM-greyscale median (GSM)) are two arterial wall characteristics that usually are measured by ultrasound in the carotid artery
IM-GSM was inversely related to almost all traditional measurements of body composition, like fat and lean mass, liver fat, visceral and subcutaneous fat, but this was not seen for IMT
Using Imiomics, IMT was positively related to the intraabdominal fat volume, as well of the leg skeletal muscle in women
Summary
Intima-media thickness (IMT) and the echogenicity of the intima-media (IM-GSM) are two arterial wall characteristics that usually are measured by ultrasound in the carotid artery. Both of these characteristics have been related to future cardiovascular events (IM-GSM mainly in an inverse fashion) [1,2]. There are only a few studies investigating the relationship between IM-GSM and obesity, but this measurement of echogenicity has been found to be inversely linked to BMI [12,13]. We evaluated how carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and the echogenicity of the intima-media (IM-GSM), measured by ultrasound, were related to body composition, evaluated by both traditional imaging techniques, as well as with a new voxel-based “Imiomics” technique
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