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Case Reports
. 2017 Jun 20;42(2):99-104.
doi: 10.1080/01658107.2017.1334218. eCollection 2018 Apr.

Evaluating the Fat Distribution in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Using Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry Scanning

Catherine Hornby  1 , Hannah Botfield  1 , Michael W O'Reilly  1   2 , Connar Westgate  1 , James Mitchell  1   2   3 , Susan P Mollan  1   4 , Konstantinos Manolopoulos  1   2 , Jeremy Tomlinson  2   5 , Alexandra Sinclair  1   2   3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Evaluating the Fat Distribution in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Using Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry Scanning

Catherine Hornby et al. Neuroophthalmology. .

Abstract

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is strongly associated with obesity. We aimed to utilise dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to characterise fat distribution, and to evaluate change in fat mass and distribution following weight loss. IIH patients (n = 24) had a similar fat distribution to body mass index (BMI)- and gender-matched obese controls (n = 47). In the IIH cohort, truncal fat mass correlated with lumbar puncture pressure. Weight loss in IIH patients resulted in a significant reduction in disease activity and fat mass, predominantly from the truncal region (-4.40 ± 1.6%; p = 0.008) compared with the limbs (+0.79 ± 6.5%; p = 0.71). These results indicate that, contrary to previous studies using waist-hip ratios, IIH adiposity is centripetal, similar to simple obesity. Future studies should establish the risk of the metabolic syndrome and the role of adipose tissue depot-specific function in IIH.

Keywords: DEXA; idiopathic intracranial hypertension; obesity.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Fat distribution in IIH and response to weight loss. Example DEXA imaging before (A) and after (B) weight loss. (C) Correlation between truncal fat mass and lumbar puncture (LP) pressure. (D) Fat mass distribution in IIH compared with controls. (E) Percentages of fat mass in IIH before and after weight loss (*p < 0.05).
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