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Correlation between incidental fat deposition in the liver and pancreas in asymptomatic individuals

  • Hepatobiliary
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Abdominal Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

A Correction to this article was published on 15 November 2019

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Abstract

Purpose

To explore the utility of two different fat quantification methods in the liver and pancreas and to test the accuracy of multi-echo Dixon as a single sequence in detecting early stage of fat deposition.

Methods

58 healthy potential liver donors underwent abdominal 3T MRI, prospectively. Single-voxel MR Spectroscopy (MRS), dual-echo Dixon, and multi-echo Dixon were performed. Two independent readers obtained proton density fat fraction (PDFF) of the liver and pancreas by placing ROIs on the 2 Dixon sequences. Correlation between the two PDFF measurements was assessed in the liver and pancreas. Values in the liver were also compared to those obtained by MRS.

Results

PDFF in the liver was 6.3 ± 4.2%, 5.5 ± 3.9%, and 5.1 ± 4.1% by MRS, dual-echo Dixon, and multi-echo Dixon, respectively. Dual-echo Dixon and multi-echo Dixon showed good correlation in PDFF quantification of the liver (r = 0.82, p < 0.0005). Multi-echo Dixon showed a good correlation (r = 0.72, p = 0.0005) between the fat measured in the liver and in the pancreas. To differentiate between normal (PDFF ≤ 6%) and mild fat deposition (PDFF: 6–33%) in the liver, analysis showed sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 74%, 81%, and 80% for dual-echo Dixon and 85%, 96%, and 89% for multi-echo Dixon, respectively. Mean PDFF in the pancreas was 7.2 ± 2.8% and 6.7 ± 3.3%, by dual-echo and multi-echo Dixon, respectively. Dual-echo Dixon and multi-echo Dixon showed good correlation in PDFF quantification of the pancreas (r = 0.58, p < 0.0005).

Conclusion

Multi-echo Dixon in liver has high accuracy in distinguishing between subjects with normal liver fat and those with mildly elevated liver fat. Multi-echo Dixon can be used to screen for early fat deposition in the liver and pancreas.

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Change history

  • 15 November 2019

    Unfortunately the article was published with a spell error in the co-author names ���Ankur Pandy and Pallavi Pandy���. The correct co-author names should be Ankur Pandey and Pallavi Pandey���.

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Funding

This study was partially funded by Siemens Healthcare.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Mounes Aliyari Ghasabeh, Mohammadreza Shaghaghi, Pegah Khoshpouri, Ankur Pandy, Pallavi Pandy & Ihab R. Kamel

  2. Siemens Healthcare, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Li pan

  3. Siemens Healthcare, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Xiaodong Zhong

  4. Siemens Healthcare GmbH, Erlangen, Germany

    Stephan Kannengiesser

  5. The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 North Wolfe Street, MRI 143, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA

    Ihab R. Kamel

Authors
  1. Mounes Aliyari Ghasabeh
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  2. Mohammadreza Shaghaghi
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  3. Pegah Khoshpouri
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  4. Li pan
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  5. Ankur Pandy
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ihab R. Kamel.

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Conflict of interest

LP, XZ, and SK are employees of Siemens Healthcare. XZ and SK contributed to the development of Dixon sequences. LP contributed to providing these sequences to our institution and technical supports. The funding organization and its employees did not have any role in the study design, data gathering, and statistical analysis. Other authors do not have any conflict of interest. All authors contributed to drafting the paper and critical revisions.

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Aliyari Ghasabeh, M., Shaghaghi, M., Khoshpouri, P. et al. Correlation between incidental fat deposition in the liver and pancreas in asymptomatic individuals. Abdom Radiol 45, 203–210 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-019-02206-w

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