The Journal of Practical Medicine >

2026 , Vol. 42 >Issue 15: 2847 - 2852

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.15.022

Treatise：Mechanism and Practice

Spatial distribution characteristics of liver fat content evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction

  • Zihua WANG ,
  • Hongzhen WU ,
  • Junjie TAN ,
  • Xuewei ZENG
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  • 1.The Eighth Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine，Foshan 528000，Guangdong，China
    2.Department of Radiology，Foshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Foshan 528000，Guangdong，China
    3.Department of Radiology，Guangzhou First People′s Hospital，Guangzhou 510180，Guangdong，China

Received date: 2026-05-18

  Revised date: 2026-06-11

  Accepted date: 2026-06-16

  Online published: 2026-08-13

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Abstract

Objective The aims of this study were to compare the differences in fat content between liver segments and liver lobes by utilizing magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction （PDFF）， thereby clarifying the spatial distribution characteristics of liver fat content and providing evidence for the clinical accurate quantitative evaluation of liver fat. Methods A total of 113 patients were retrospectively included. Liver magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） and biochemical data were gathered to ascertain hepatic PDFF values. The Friedman rank-sum test， in combination with the Bonferroni post-hoc test， was employed to analyze the disparities in fat content among liver segments and lobes. The Spearman correlation coefficient was utilized to investigate the correlation between whole-liver PDFF and biochemical indicators. Results There were significant differences in PDFF values among liver segments （P < 0.05）. Pair-wise comparisons indicated significant differences in PDFF values between S1 and S2 - S8， between S2 and S6 - S8， and between S4 and S7 - S8. Additionally， there were significant differences between the caudate lobe， left lobe， right lobe， and the whole-liver mean， as well as between the right lobe， left lobe， and the whole-liver mean （all adjusted P < 0.05）. Correlation analysis revealed that the average whole-liver PDFF was weakly positively correlated with glycated hemoglobin and triglycerides， and weakly negatively correlated with apolipoprotein A. Conclusions There is evident spatial heterogeneity in liver fat content， and the distribution of fat content varies significantly among different liver lobes and segments. Moreover， PDFF is correlated with certain glycolipid metabolism indicators， which can offer a reference for clinical evaluation.

Key words： fatty liver; magnetic resonance imaging; fat quantification; chemical shift imaging; proton density fat fraction

Cite this article

Zihua WANG , Hongzhen WU , Junjie TAN , Xuewei ZENG . Spatial distribution characteristics of liver fat content evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction[J]. The Journal of Practical Medicine, 2026 , 42(15) : 2847 -2852 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2026.15.022

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