| Title: | Neck-to-knee dixon MRI thigh volume as a superior mass biomarker for Sarcopenia: evidence from the UK biobank |
| Journal: | npj Digital Medicine |
| Published: | 5 Feb 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41644627/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-026-02379-x |
| URL: | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41746-026-02379-x_reference.pdf |
Publication 18365
WARNING: the interactive features of this website use CSS3, which your browser does not support. To use the full features of this website, please update your browser.
Abstract
Sarcopenia assessment requires biomarkers capturing muscle-specific strength beyond single-slice measurements. We developed an automated MRI framework segmenting 27 pelvic-thigh musculoskeletal structures to investigate muscle distribution as functional biomarkers. Among 37,004 UK Biobank participants (64.5 ± 7.9 years), transformer-based segmentation achieved Dice similarity coefficient of 0.896. Dixon MRI-derived thigh muscle volume showed exceptional DEXA concordance (r = 0.936). Posterior/anterior (P/A) muscle ratio independently predicted adverse outcomes: weak grip strength (OR 1.60, 95%CI 1.45-1.77), sarcopenia (OR 1.42, 95%CI 1.13-1.78), mortality (OR 1.49, 95%CI 1.23-1.81), and falls (OR 1.12, 95%CI 1.05-1.20), all p < 0.005, while left/right asymmetry showed no associations. Automated MRI phenotyping reveals muscle distribution patterns, particularly reduced anterior compartment volume, predict functional decline independent of total muscle mass, supporting evolution toward composition-aware sarcopenia criteria.</p>
7 Authors
- Hyeon Su Kim
- Hyunwoo Park
- Junseok Kang
- Hyunbin Kim
- Bonsang Gu
- Bhola Shivam
- Jun-Il Yoo
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 622629 | Extending Healthy Lifespan through Sarcopenia Drug Development, Universal Biomarker Diagnostic Index Development and Clinical Application, and Clinical Validation and Commercialization of Digital Ther |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health