Quantitative Analysis of Fat Distribution using Whole-Body Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Julien Dinkel¹, Diana Wald², Heinz-Peter Schlemmer, Hans-Peter Meinzer, Rudolf Kaaks³, Stefan Delorme

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a semiautomatic method to quantify the distribution of visceral and non visceral internal fat acquired using the two point Dixon technique from whole-body MRI data. We performed MR imaging on 30 subjects using a 1.5T system using a 3d-Dixon-VIBE sequence. Signal strength changes within the 3D volume due to variation in coil sensitivity were corrected with a normalization algorithm. Full automated correction of the Dixon-mismatch artifacts were performed successfully. Automated segmentation quantifying the distribution of visceral and non visceral fat were done and assessed as successful by an experienced radiologist.