The computed tomographic determination of intra-abdominal fat volume by single-layer measurement

Abstract

Several studies emphasised the importance of the relationship between intra-abdominal and total body adipose tissue as a risk factor for the development of metabolic or cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine whether a single-scan computed tomography is able to determine the whole intra-abdominal fat volume with high accuracy and reproducibility. Regions of interests (ROIs) were drawn manually for measuring intra-abdominal fat in 51 unsuspicious abdominal CT. The sexual differentiation of adipose tissue already described in a lot of studies could be confirmed in this study. Fat still predominates in females in lower half of the body (gynecoid obesity). In men it predominates in the upper half (android obesity). Significant correlation concerning measuring the whole intra-abdominal fat volume could be found in L1-level in women (r = 0.992) and in L2-level in men (r = 0.992). Measurement of a single scan enables us to assess whole intra-abdominal fat volume due to a special formula. The determination of intra-abdominal fat measured by a single-scan computed tomography is a procedure associated with high accuracy and reproducibility.