Imaging of Body Composition

Abstract

Body composition is now recognized to have a major impact on health and disease. Imaging enables its analysis in an objective and quantitative way through diverse techniques such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasonography. This review article first surveys the methodological aspects underpinning the use of these modalities to assess body composition, highlighting their strengths and limitations as well as the set of parameters that they measure and their clinical relevance. It then provides an update on the main applications of body composition imaging in current practice, with a focus on sarcopenia, obesity, lipodystrophies, cancer, and critical care. We conclude by considering the emerging role of artificial intelligence in the analysis of body composition, enabling the extraction of numerous metrics with the potential to refine prognostication and management across a number of pathologies, paving the way toward personalized medicine.