title: Assessment of regional adipose tissue depots: a DXA and CT comparison in cadavers of elderly persons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Since dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) cannot distinguish between different adipose tissue (AT) deposits, it remains unclear how DXA-derived body composition variables relate to anatomical tissue (sub)compartments. The aim of the present study was to compare and relate regional DXA variables with absolute tissue masses obtained by computer tomography (CT) scanning of the lower limbs in elderly persons.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven well-preserved white Caucasian adults (seven male and four female cadavers) with a median age of 79.0 years (ranging from 68 to 96 years) were fully scanned with DXA and CT. Separate densities of skin tissue, AT, muscle tissue and bone were obtained by hydrostatic weighing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The leg DXA-variables were significantly related (rho-values between 0.60 and 0.98, P < 0.01) to CT-derived tissue counterparts, but showed significant systematic differences except for subcutaneous AT mass (P = 0.773). After controlling for other AT depots, fat as measured by DXA (fat(DXA)) related only to intermuscular AT (rho = 0.82, P < 0.01) in males and to subcutaneous AT (rho = 0.84, P < 0.05) in females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although significantly interrelated, DXA and CT variables should not be used interchangeably since they have different quantitative and physiological significance. Our results suggest that fat(DXA) represents different parts of AT depots in elderly men and women. Since DXA is not appropriate for assessing tissue variability cautious clinical interpretation is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Anatomy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium. aldo.scafoglieri@vub.ac.be
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scafoglieri
authors.forename: Rudi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Deklerck
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tresignie
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Mey
authors.forename: Jan Pieter
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Clarys
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bautmans
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon / Q000379:methods; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D001823:Body Composition; D002102:Cadaver; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods
keywords: Computer tomography; Density; Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; Sampling; Tissue