Variability in 13C MRS Measurement of Liver Glycogen in Children.

Motivation: Liver glycogen measures can indicate altered metabolism in disorders which impact the health of children. MRS techniques offer a non-invasive method to assess liver glycogen in vivo, but there is a need to demonstrate such measures are reproducible. Goal(s): To measure longitudinal reproducibility of 13C MRS liver glycogen concentration in children 8-12yrs. Approach: For 24 participants intra- and inter- reproducibility measures were calculated by two raters and automated analysis across two visits with two timepoints. Results: Intra- and inter-subject measures for liver glycogen concentration in children were similar to those previously reported in adults, with coefficient of variation ranging from 22-38%. Impact: With both intra-subject and inter-subject reproducibility of liver glycogen concentration in children matching literature values for adults, this shows the viability of MRS as a tool to measure liver glycogen in a diverse population.