New Perspectives for Estimating Body Composition From Computed Tomography: Clothing Associated Artifacts

• Published in: Academic radiology Vol. 31; no. 6; pp. 2620 - 2626
• Main Authors: Rentz, Lauren E., Malone, Briauna M., Vettiyil, Beth, Sillaste, Erik A., Mizener, Alan D., Clayton, Stuart A., Pistilli, Emidio E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-06-2024
• Subjects: Adiposity; Clinical imaging; Data quality; Retrospective analysis; Skeletal muscle; Retrospective analysis; Data quality; Adiposity; Clinical imaging; Clothing; Skeletal muscle
• ISSN: 1076-6332; 1878-4046; 1878-4046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.acra.2024.01.013

As the value of clinical imaging is expanded through retrospective analyses, it is imperative that all efforts are made to optimize validity. Such considerations for retrospective designs should prioritize factors like naturalistic conditions for observations and measurement replicability, while avoiding sample biases and reliance on strict clinical timelines. Valid methodological approaches are immanent for successful translation from retrospective observational designs into prospective pragmatic research with actionable potential. In particular, thousands of studies have sought to associate clinical outcomes to measures of body composition across diverse patient groups. Post-hoc use of computed tomography (CT) to quantify adiposity and lean tissue characteristics has most frequently involved just a single slice at the level of the third lumbar vertebrae (L3). Abundant in statistical significance and inconsistencies alike, such methods have yet to be implemented or deemed valuable for making real-world clinical decisions. We present herein a concerning perspective, for both magnitude and prevalence, of a widely overlooked source of data variability for this methodology: the hinderance of pants and other tightly fit clothing.