Article Text
Abstract
Background: Hepatic steatosis is associated with obesity and type II diabetes. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) is a non-invasive method for measurement of tissue fat content, including intrahepatocellular lipids (IHCL) and intramyocellular lipids (IMCL).
Patients and methods: We used 1H MRS and whole body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the relationship between IHCL accumulation, total body adipose tissue (AT) content/distribution, and IMCL content in 11 subjects with biopsy proven hepatic steatosis and 23 normal volunteers.
Results: IHCL signals were detectable in all subjects but were significantly greater in hepatic steatosis (geometric mean (GM) 11.5 (interquartile range (IQR) 7.0–39.0)) than in normal volunteers (GM 2.7 (IQR 0.7–9.3); p = 0.02). In the study group as a whole, IHCL levels were significantly greater in overweight compared with lean subjects (body mass index (BMI) >25 kg/m2 (n = 23): GM 7.7 (IQR 4.0–28.6) v BMI <25 kg/m2 (n = 11): GM 1.3 (IQR 0.3–3.6; p = 0.004)). There was a significant association between IHCL content and indices of overall obesity (expressed as a percentage of body weight) for total body fat (p = 0.001), total subcutaneous AT (p = 0.007), and central obesity (subcutaneous abdominal AT (p = 0.001) and intra-abdominal AT (p = 0.001)), after allowing for sex and age. No correlation between IHCL content and IMCL was observed. A significant correlation was observed between serum alanine aminotransferase and liver fat content (r = 0.57, p = 0.006).
Conclusions: Our results suggest that hepatic steatosis appears to be closely related to body adiposity, especially central obesity. MRS may be a useful method for monitoring IHCL in future interventional studies.
- ALP, alkaline phosphatase
- ALT, alanine aminotransferase
- γGT, γ glutamyl transferase
- AT, adipose tissue
- BMI, body mass index
- CoV, coefficient of variation
- CT, computerised tomography
- GM, geometric mean
- IHCL, intrahepatocellular lipids
- IMCL, intramyocellular lipids
- IQR, interquartile range
- LFTs, liver function tests
- MRI, magnetic resonance imaging
- 1H MRS, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy
- NASH, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
- TE, echo time
- TR, repetition time
- steatosis
- adipose tissue
- fatty liver
- intrahepatocellular lipids
- magnetic resonance imaging
- spectroscopy
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- ALP, alkaline phosphatase
- ALT, alanine aminotransferase
- γGT, γ glutamyl transferase
- AT, adipose tissue
- BMI, body mass index
- CoV, coefficient of variation
- CT, computerised tomography
- GM, geometric mean
- IHCL, intrahepatocellular lipids
- IMCL, intramyocellular lipids
- IQR, interquartile range
- LFTs, liver function tests
- MRI, magnetic resonance imaging
- 1H MRS, proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy
- NASH, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
- TE, echo time
- TR, repetition time
Footnotes
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Conflict of interest: None declared.
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