Associations between liver (18)F fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose accumulation and various clinical parameters in a Japanese population: influence of the metabolic syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
Liver demonstrates a heterogeneous (18)F fluoro-2-deoxy-D: -glucose ((18)F-FDG) uptake pattern and sometimes shows an abnormally increased uptake even when there is no malignant tissue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships of liver (18)F-FDG uptake as related to physical factors, fatty liver, blood glucose (BG), and other biochemical data.


METHODS
(18)F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) imaging was performed in 101 consecutive subjects for cancer screening. Multiple stepwise regression analysis was used to define the best predictors of the liver standardized uptake value (SUV) among height, weight, waist circumference, body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, BG and other biochemical data, i.e., aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, total protein, total bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase. Furthermore, we evaluated the association between liver (18)F-FDG uptake and the metabolic syndrome.


RESULTS
The independent factors for increased liver (18)F-FDG uptake (mean SUV > or = 2) were BMI (P < 0.0001), triglycerides (P = 0.0007), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = 0.0013). Other factors were not significantly associated with liver (18)F-FDG uptake. In addition, the liver (18)F-FDG uptake of metabolic syndrome subjects was significantly higher than that of a non-metabolic syndrome subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
BMI was the strongest determinant of liver (18)F-FDG uptake, and the liver (18)F-FDG uptake of metabolic syndrome subjects was significantly higher than that of non-metabolic syndrome subjects. This result suggests that a subject with a high liver (18)F-FDG uptake should be screened for the metabolic syndrome.
Kamimura
Kiyohisa
K
Department of Radiology, Fujimoto Hayasuzu Hospital, Miyakonojo, Miyazaki, Japan. kiyohisa@mp.0038.net
Nagamachi
Shigeki
S
Wakamatsu
Hideyuki
H
Higashi
Ryutaro
R
Ogita
Mikio
M
Ueno
Shin-ichiro
S
Fujita
Seigo
S
Umemura
Yoshiro
Y
Fujimoto
Toshiro
T
Nakajo
Masayuki
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D001692:Biological Transport; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D012044:Regression Analysis
D001786:Blood Glucose; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18