title: Reproducibility and validity of ultrasound for the measurement of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ultrasound represents a low-cost and widely available field method for assessing visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) but its measurement properties are uncertain. The aim of the current study was to examine the reproducibility and validity of ultrasound to quantify abdominal fat compartments.
  
  
  METHODS
  In two study centers, VAT and SAT thicknesses were quantified by ultrasound two times by two observers each among 127 adults aged 20-70 years. In a separate sample of 30 adults, the ultrasound method was validated by comparing VAT and SAT thicknesses with VAT and SAT areas at vertebrae L2/L3 as obtained by a single magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) slice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For VAT, the intra-rater reproducibility values for observers 1 and 2 were r=0.996 (95% CI=0.994-0.997) and r=0.999 (95% CI=0.999-0.999), respectively. For SAT, the intra-rater reproducibility values were r=0.992 (95% CI=0.989-0.994) and r=0.993 (95% CI=0.990-0.995), respectively. The inter-rater reproducibility values for VAT and SAT were r=0.998 (95% CI=0.997-0.999) and r=0.990 (95% CI=0.986-0.993), respectively. For VAT and SAT, the correlation coefficients between ultrasound and MRI measurements were r=0.898 (P<0.001) and r=0.705 (P<0.001), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ultrasound provides reproducible and valid estimates of VAT and SAT and represents a useful method to assess abdominal fat in large scale epidemiologic studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany. Electronic address: Inga.Schlecht@klinik.uni-regensburg.de.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schlecht
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wiggermann
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Gundula
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Behrens
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Niemannsweg 11, 24105 Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Manja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.affiliation: Section of Nutritional Epidemiology, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, Endenicher Allee 11-13, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Freese
authors.affiliation: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Interdisziplinäres Stoffwechsel-Centrum, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.affiliation: Section of Nutritional Epidemiology, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, Endenicher Allee 11-13, 53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Nöthlings
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stroszczynski
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Leitzmann
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D050151:Subcutaneous Fat / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Abdominal fat compartments; Magnetic resonance imaging; Reproducibility; Ultrasound; Validity