title: Age- and Gender Dependent Liver Fat Content in a Healthy Normal BMI Population as Quantified by Fat-Water Separating DIXON MR Imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish age- and sex-dependent values of magnetic resonance (MR) liver fat-signal fraction (FSF) in healthy volunteers with normal body-mass index (BMI).
  
  
  METHODS
  2-point mDIXON sequences (repetition time/echo time, 4.2msec/1.2msec, 3.1msec) at 3.0 Tesla MR were acquired in 80 healthy volunteers with normal BMI (18.2 to 25.7 kg/m2) between 20 and 62 years (10 men/10 women per decade). FSF was measured in 5 liver segments (segment II, III, VI, VII, VIII) based on mean signal intensities in regions of interest placed on mDIXON-based water and fat images. Multivariate general linear models were used to test for significant differences between BMI-corrected FSF among age subgroups. Pearson and Spearman correlations between FSF and several body measures were calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean FSF (%) ± standard deviations significantly differed between women (3.91 ± 1.10) and men (4.69 ± 1.38) and varied with age for women/men (p-value: 0.002/0.027): 3.05 ± 0.49/3.74 ± 0.60 (age group 20-29), 3.75 ± 0.66/4.99 ± 1.30 (30-39), 4.76 ± 1.16/5.25 ± 1.97 (40-49) and 4.09 ± 1.26/4.79 ± 0.93 (50-62). FSF differences among age subgroups were significant for women only (p = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MR-based liver fat content is higher in men and peaks in the fifth decade for both genders.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Erika J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Ulbrich
authors.affiliation: Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manoliu
authors.affiliation: Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marcon
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Luechinger
authors.affiliation: Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nanz
authors.affiliation: Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Caecilia S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Reiner
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001834:Body Water; D004032:Diet; D017097:Electric Impedance; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids