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Evaluating CMR
Imaging Techniques
Computed Tomography (CT)
- 1Key Points (1 page)
- 2Determining Total Adiposity with Computed Tomography (1 page)
- 3Determining Tissue Area or Mass Using CT (1 page)
- 4Measuring Skeletal Muscle Mass Using CT (1 page)
- 5Measuring Intra-abdominal Fat Using MRI and CT (2 pages)
- 6Measuring Ectopic Fat Using CT (2 pages)
- 7References (1 page)
Measuring Skeletal Muscle Mass Using CT
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Figure 2: 
Figure 2: CT is one of the gold standard techniques used for in vivo quantification of skeletal muscle mass (Figure 2). Muscle mass and changes to it are related to muscle strength (11-13), and accurately determining skeletal muscle mass is particularly important in elderly populations, who are at increased risk of sarcopenia and functional impairment due to low muscle mass. Measures of skeletal muscle by a single CT image have been validated using cadaver measures and show a high level of agreement (R2=0.94, standard error of estimate=9.5%), with a coefficient of variation of approximately 2% (14). When compared to cadaver values, CT error improved to approximately 1% when volume measures were acquired from multiple images. However, as CT involves radiation exposure, a single image at the mid-thigh is commonly used as a proxy measure of whole body skeletal muscle in both men and women (R2=0.77 to 0.79) (15).
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