title: Feasibility of MRI and selection of adequate region of interest for longitudinal studies of growth and fatness in swine models of obesity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the feasibility of MRI for imaging subcutaneous and visceral adiposity in longitudinal studies in obese swine models (Iberian pig). To establish the anatomical regions of interest (ROIs) and measurement points (MPs) adequate for their evaluation through analyses on the inter-individual variability and over-time reproducibility and through the assessment of their reliability and validity by comparison with in vivo and ex vivo zoometric data.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five male and five female pigs were used from four (live weight around 48 kg and back-fat depth around 18 mm) to eight months old (live weight 134 kg and back-fat depth around 48 mm). MRI was carried out with a Panorama 0.23T scanner (Philips Medical Systems, Best, Netherlands), using a body/spine XL coil.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ROIs of election for visualization of subcutaneous data are located from the cranial margin of left diaphragmatic crura to the lumbar vertebrae L3. Visceral adiposity may be equally evaluated from the vertebrae L1 to L3.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRI allows the evaluation of subcutaneous and visceral fatness in a single acquisition, which improves animal welfare and time- and cost-efficiency and provides an accurate, consistent and repeatable procedure for sequential studies of adiposity in obese swine.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barbero
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Garcia-Real
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Reproducción Animal, INIA, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Astiz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayuso
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lopez-Bote
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Reproducción Animal, INIA, Avda. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: bulnes@inia.es.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Bulnes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001699:Biometry; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000473:pathology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000473:pathology*; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development
keywords: Animal models; Fatness; Magnetic resonance imaging; Obesity