Validation of the measurement of intra-abdominal fat between ultrasound and CT scan in women with obesity and infertility

Abstract

Objective: To compare the means and changes over time of intra-abdominal fat (IAF) and subcutaneous abdominal fat (SAF) measured by abdominal ultrasound (US) and computerized tomography (CT). Design and Methods: Prospective cohort study of 53 women with obesity and infertility undergoing a lifestyle program. Results: The Pearson's correlation between IAF measurement by US compared to CT was good at baseline, month 3 and 6 (all r ! 0.72). The correlation of SAF measurement by US compared to CT was reasonable at baseline (r ¼ 0.54; 95%CI 0.30-0.78) and weak at month 3 and 6 (all r 0.39). The correlation between the changes in IAF over 3 and 6 months by US compared to CT was reasonable and significant respectively (all r > 0.48). US could not measure the changes of SAF over time. The Bland-Altman plot showed good agreement between US and CT for IAF measurements (À1.1 [95%CI -3.9-1.6] cm lower mean in US) at baseline. For changes of IAF over time, mean estimates were in agreement. Conclusion: In women with obesity and infertility, measuring IAF by US is in good agreement with the CT scan methodology but the measurement of SAF by US is unreliable.

Randomized Trial of a Lifestyle Program in Obese Infertile Women

“…[18][19][20][21] The program was developed according to the recommendations of the National Institutes of Health 22 and was piloted in a singlecenter study. 23,24 It included six outpatient visits and four telephone consultations during a 24-week period.…”

Ultrasonography Technique in Abdominal Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Measurement: A Systematic Review

“…Correlation between ultrasonography and CT (the current gold standard) were high in 2 separate studies ( r value between .93 and .96; P < .0001) . The main limitation was ultrasonography's inaccuracy in detecting small variations in SAT thickness over time, a discrepancy unanimously found by the authors and attributed to heterogeneous SAT deposits not detected by ultrasound . On the other hand, correlations between MRI and ultrasound measurements of SAT have improved in recent years but remain relatively moderate ( r value between .73 and .82) .…”

Imaging methods for analyzing body composition in human obesity and cardiometabolic disease

“…The amount of sound reflected is determined by the acoustic impedance between tissues; while air has relatively no impedance, bone has a relatively high impedance (0.78 g/cm/s) and adipose and lean tissue have impedances of 0.138 and 0.170 g/cm/s, respectively . Measurement of mesenteric fat thickness by US is strongly associated with cardiovascular risk factors in healthy young adults, but comparison of US measures for adipose tissue (VAT and SAT) to those acquired by CT and MRI suggest that, while there is strong correlation with VAT, there may be less accuracy and reliability with measurement of SAT . However, US‐detected changes in total body fat after weight loss were comparable to DXA measures in obese adolescents …”