Modern CT and MR applications

Abstract

Besides being used to diagnose a variety of diseases in adipose patients that can, but need not necessarily, be related to obesity, modern imaging modalities give rise to certain applications that are of special interest in obesity research. Both computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provide three-dimensional data of the human body wherein the image contrast is related to the molecular composition of the observed tissues. This fundamental property renders cross-sectional imaging an advantageous way to study the body composition. The abnormalities in body composition in obesity, their detrimental effects on health, and their changes following bariatric surgery are of great importance. The following section presents an overview about a modern classification system for adipose tissue distribution derived mostly from findings in CT or MRI, provides some insight into the technical aspects of adipose tissue quantification, and addresses the observed changes in obesity and after surgery.