Development of an MRI Pipeline for Non-Invasive Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) Assessment in Paediatric Patients: A Preliminary Study
Motivation: Research indicates that metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) impacts brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity. Current gold-standard assessment of BAT uses ionising radiation. Goal(s): To develop and evaluate an MRI pipeline for the non-invasive assessment of BAT function in paediatric patients with MASLD and healthy controls (HC). Approach: Enrolling 14 HC and 9 MASLD patients, we utilised a 6-point Dixon technique for proton density fat fraction (FF) and R2* measurements. Results: Significant differences in BAT characteristics before and after cold exposure were observed in HC. However, limitations such as a small patient sample size emphasise the need for further larger studies. Impact: The proposed MRI pipeline enables non-invasive assessment of brown adipose tissue, enhancing understanding of its role in energy metabolism. This method has significant implications for evaluating metabolic conditions, potentially improving patient outcomes in metabolic diseases.
Authors
- Aliya Amin
- E. Stamou
- Melanie Nana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7908-8986)
- Emer Fitzpatrick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1364-5305)
- A. Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2165-9191)
- Anil Kumar Dhawan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4942-0845)
- Catherine Williamson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6226-7611)
- Radhouène Neji (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6543-4390)
- Caroline Ovadia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4859-0324)
- Philippa Bridgen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8051-8139)
- Eirini Kyrana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4696-4855)
- Louise Dillon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5504-5204)
- Rui Santos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7861-4366)
- Laura Barredo Santos
- Alice Mitchell
- Michela Cleri
- J. Venkatesh
- Madeleine Reid
- Nyree Griffin
- Maria Gregori
Publication Details
- Journal
- Proceedings on CD-ROM - International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. Scientific Meeting and Exhibition/Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, Scientific Meeting and Exhibition
- Published
- 2025-09-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.58530/2025/5292
- Primary Topic
- Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00