Pancreas fat quantification with quantitative CT: an MRI correlation analysis

Aim: To assess the fat content of the pancreas using quantitative computed tomography (QCT) and to correlate the results with chemical-shift-encoded magnetic resonance imaging (CSE-MRI) measurements of proton density fat fraction (PDFF). Material and methods: Institutional review board approval for this research was obtained and 52 participants (25 men, 27 women; mean age 35.1 years; age range 22–50 years), who were enrolled in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) Study, underwent QCT and CSE-MRI for quantification of fat content in the pancreas. Two observers placed regions of interest (area of 100–130 mm2) in the head, body, and tail of the pancreas as closely matched as possible on the two scans. Pearson correlation and Bland–Altman analysis were performed to evaluate the correlation between the QCT and CSE-MRI measurements and the systematic difference between the two techniques. Results: The QCT and CSE-MRI measurements of pancreatic fat content were well correlated (r=0.805, p<0.0001), although Bland–Altman analysis showed that the QCT measurements were systematically lower by 6.3% compared to CSE-MRI PDFF. Conclusion: In conclusion, the results of this study suggest good correlation between QCT and CSE-MRI measurements of pancreatic fat content. Further studies are required to improve the numerical agreement of QCT measurements with PDFF.