Preliminary analysis of interaction of the fat fraction in the sacroiliac joint among sex, age, and body mass index in a normal Chinese population

Objective Iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least-squares estimation-iron quantification (IDEAL-IQ) is a noninvasive and objective method used to quantitatively measure fat content. Although this technique has been used in the entire abdomen, IDEAL-IQ findings in the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) have rarely been reported. This preclinical study was performed to quantify the amount of fat in the SIJ in healthy volunteers by IDEAL-IQ. Methods From April to November 2017, 60 healthy volunteers with low back pain were included in this retrospective study. The participants were allocated into groups by age (15–30, 31–50, and ≥51 years), sex (male and female), and body mass index (BMI) (<18.5, 18.5–23.9, and ≥24.0 kg/m2). The iliac-side (Fi) and sacral-side (Fs) fat fractions were obtained in all groups. Two- and three-factor multivariate analyses were performed to analyze the effects of sex, age, and BMI on the Fi and Fs. Results The interaction among sex, age, and BMI had no statistically significant effect on the dependent variable. Both Fi and Fs were significantly influenced by age. Fs was significantly influenced by sex. Conclusion The IDEAL-IQ sequence can be used to quantitatively assess the SIJ fat content in healthy volunteers.