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O'Connor, Michelle
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O'Connor, Michelle
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O'Connor, Michelle
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- PublicationBest single slice location to measure visceral adipose tissue on paediatric CT scans and the relations between anthropometric measurements, gender and VAT volume in childrenObjective: Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is a significant risk factor for obesity-related metabolic diseases. This study investigates (1) the best single CT slice location for predicting total abdominal VAT volume in paediatrics and (2) the relationship between waist circumference (WC), sagittal diameter (SD), gender and VAT volume. Methods: A random sample of 130 paediatric abdomen CT scans, stratified according to age and gender, was collected. Three readers measured VAT area at each intervertebral level between T12 and S1 using ImageJ analysis (National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD) software by thresholding −190 to −30 HU and manually segmenting VAT. Single-slice VAT measurements were correlated with total VAT volume to identify the most representative slice. WC and SD were measured at L3–L4 and L4–L5 slices, respectively. Regression analysis was used to evaluate WC, SD and gender as VAT volume predictors. Results: Interviewer and intraviewer reliability were excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.99). Although VAT measured at multiple slices correlated strongly with abdominal VAT, only one slice in females at L2–L3 and two slices in males at L1–L2 and L5–S1 were strongly correlated across all age groups. Linear regression analysis showed that WC was strongly correlated with VAT volume (beta = 0.970, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Single-slice VAT measurements are highly reproducible. Measurements performed at L2–L3 in females and L1–L2 or L5–S1 in males were most representative of VAT. WC is indicative of VAT. Advances in knowledge: VAT should be measured at L2–L3 in female children and at either L1–L2 or L5–S1 in males. WC is a strong indicator of VAT in children.
408Scopus© Citations 17 - PublicationA review of cross sectional imaging, ultrasound & nuclear medicine utilisation patterns in paediatric patients in Ireland, 2003-12Objective: Recent trends in paediatric imaging have been examined in Australia and the USA. Such literature in Europe is sparse, incomprehensive and outdated. This research investigated (1) population-based trends in the use of advanced medical imaging in children in Ireland from 2003 to 2012; (2) its use across age and gender; and (3) the most commonly performed examinations within each modality. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis study was carried out within Irish paediatric hospitals. All CT, MRI, ultrasound and nuclear medicine (NM) annual examination data from 2003 to 2012 was obtained from radiology information systems. Results: 224,173 imaging procedures were carried out on 84,511 patients, 68% of which were ultrasound, 15% were MRI, 11% were CT and 6% were NM. Between 2003 and 2012, MRI (+280%) and CT (+80%) saw the largest increases in use, followed by ultrasound (+67%) and NM (+10%). Almost half of the study population were less than 3 years old. CT imaging was more frequent than MR in 2005. By 2012, MR rates were twice that of CT. CT imaging rates were the lowest in the youngest age categories. Conclusion: Advanced imaging use, particularly MRI, has risen substantially over the past 10 years. The utilization of non-ionizing modalities increased between 2003 and 2012, especially in brain, spinal and abdominal imaging. MR is now used at twice the frequency of CT. Advances in knowledge: Longitudinal advanced imaging utilization trends, including CT trends, have been established in the Irish paediatric population.
342Scopus© Citations 5