NONINVASIVE ASSESSMENT OF HEPATIC TRIGLYCERIDE CONTENT IN HUMANS WITHC-13 NUCLEAR-MAGNETIC-RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY

Hepatic lipid content was assessed noninvasively in 15 patients with h epatic steatosis by C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy , and compared in a double-blind fashion with histological grading and morphometric quantitation of fat in Liver biopsies taken within 2 wee ks of the study. The Lipid content in the Liver biopsies was expressed as the volume fraction of total parenchyma occupied by fat. Hepatic t riglyceride content was determined by comparing the C-13 NMR signal in tensity in vivo with the signal intensity obtained from a lipid phanto m of known concentration. There was an approximately 30-fold increase in the C-13 NMR signals of the saturated carbons (methyl/methylene [CH 2](n)) region of hepatic triglycerides from patients with grade 4 stea tosis compared with those with grade 0, yielding a good dynamic range for measuring hepatic triglyceride content. The correlation coefficien t between the morphometric and C-13 NMR techniques was 0.89 (P < .01). These studies demonstrate that C-13 NMR spectroscopy can be used to n oninvasively assess hepatic triglyceride content in humans. This metho d may be clinically useful for diagnosis and follow-up of patients wit h hepatic steatosis.