title: Is 3-compartment bioimpedance spectroscopy useful to assess body composition in renal transplant patients?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Metabolic disorders, in particular weight gain, increase cardiovascular mortality risk and can cause serious problems after renal transplantation. Weight and body mass index are imprecise indicators of nutritional status. Accurate determination of the body composition of renal transplant patients is essential; therefore, a simple tool that allows appropriate patient monitoring is crucial.
  
  
  METHODS
  A new device, the Body Composition Monitor (BCM, Fresenius Medical Care, Bad Homburg, Germany), expresses body weight in terms of adipose tissue, lean tissue mass, and excess fluid. We compared the performance of this 3-compartment model with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) as a reference method in determining body composition in a renal transplant population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-three clinically stable renal transplant patients were studied. Bland-Altman plots and Passing-Bablok regression were used to compare methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean lean mass was 51.8 ± 12.3 kg with DEXA and 39.0 ± 9.9 kg with BCM. Despite the Passing-Bablok regression failing to find significant differences, the predictive value of BCM for DEXA was poor. Mean fat mass was 19.4 ± 9.7 kg with DEXA and 30.0 ± 16.0 kg with BCM. The slope of the regression line of BCM over DEXA significantly differed from 1.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We conclude that, in this population, these methods cannot be substituted for one another.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Hôpital Foch, Suresnes, France. g.pelle@hopital-foch.org
authors.forename: Gaëlle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pellé
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Branche
authors.forename: Niloufar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kossari
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tricot
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delahousse
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dreyfus
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001823:Body Composition; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012044:Regression Analysis; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D014883:Water-Electrolyte Imbalance