Measurement of abdominal and visceral fat with computed tomography and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry

These studies were undertaken to compare dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and computed tomography (CT) measurements of abdominal fat and to determine whether anthropometry could be combined with DXA to predict intraabdominal (visceral) fat mass in humans. Twenty-one volunteers underwent abdominal CT scans, DXA, and anthropometry. DXA- and CT-measured total abdominal fat were similar (8448 ± 5005 and 8066 ± 5354 mL, respectively; NS) and were highly correlated (r = 0.985, P < 0.001). The combination of anthropometry and DXA was a suboptimal predictor of CT-measured intraabdominal fat (r = 0.61, P < 0.05); however, the combination of a single CT slice (to assess the ratio of intraabdominal to total abdominal adipose tissue) and DXA-measured abdominal fat was an excellent predictor of CT- measured intraabdominal fat (r = 0.98, P < 0.001). We conclude that a single- slice CT scan (or other imaging technique) with or without DXA is required for accurate predictions of intraabdominal fat.