Bone Research Group

MRI and DXA measurement of Visceral Adipose Tissue

Principal investigator: Dr Jo Welsman. 

Collaborators: Dr Ann Rowlands, Dr Ian Summers, Dr Jon Fulford and Dr Glen Blake (King’s College London)

MRI scans of the abdomen provide accurate quantification of visceral adipose tissue, which is an indicator of potential future metabolic syndrome.  However, they are expensive, some patients are contra-indicated and some patients are unable to go through the scan due to claustrophobia.  Therefore this study aims to investigate whether DXA measurements of body composition can measure, with reasonable accuracy, visceral adipose tissue.  This would mean that future studies can use just the cheaper and more patient friendly DXA measurements.  60 subjects will have both MRI and DXA quantification of visceral adipose tissue.