Abstract

The accurate determination of a person’s total body fat is an important issue in medical analysis because obesity is a significant contributing factor to a variety of serious health problems. The medical literature identifies a wide range of diseases that are closely linked to obesity. Current methods of fat assessment are largely inaccurate, and most current methods of fat determination cannot show regional fat distribution, which is important in defining disease risk. We introduce a method that combines computer-aided techniques with whole-body MRI techniques and enables accurate quantification and visualization of total body fat burden and regional fat distribution. This technique may be important in identifying and treating at-risk populations.