Table 1.
Selected single-slice morphomic markers derived from muscle and adipose tissue area measurements on thoracic and abdominal CT scans
| Category | Marker name and definition | Segmentation algorithms | ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muscle (lumbar) − 29 to + 150 HU [24] |
Psoas muscle area: combined area of the right and left psoas muscles, in mm2 [25–47]. | Shape model [48, 49] | PMA |
| Psoas muscle attenuation: mean attenuation value within the psoas muscles, in HU [31, 46, 50–55]. | – | PMA_HU | |
| Lumbar dorsal muscle area: combined area muscle contained within the region posterior to the spine and ribs, no more lateral than the lateral-most edges of the erector spinae muscles (includes latissimus dorsi, quadratus lumborum, and erector spinae muscles), in mm2 [56–59]. | Atlas-based [60], thresholding-based [61], fuzzy C-means [62, 63] | LDMA | |
| Lumbar dorsal muscle attenuation: mean attenuation value within the dorsal muscles, in HU [63, 64]. | – | LDMA_HU | |
| Total lumbar muscle area: combined area of the psoas, rectus abdominis, pyramidalis, transversus abdominis, internal and external oblique, plus the dorsal muscle area, in mm2 [31, 56, 64–66] | FEM-based [67, 68] | TLMA | |
| Total lumbar muscle attenuation: mean attenuation value within the lumbar muscles, in HU [69]. | – | TLMA_HU | |
| Muscle (thoracic) − 129 to + 150 HU |
Total thoracic muscle area: combined area of the pectoralis, intercostal and paraspinal muscles, in mm2 [70–73]. | FEM-based [74] | TTLMA |
| Total thoracic muscle attenuation: mean attenuation value within the lumbar muscles, in HU (ND). | – | TTLMA_HU | |
| Fat (lumbar) −190 to − 30 HU |
Visceral fat area: total area of intraperitoneal fat, in mm2 [31, 54, 55, 75–79]. | Fuzzy C-means [80], fuzzy affinity [81], thresholding [82], separation mask [83], polar projection ([84], edge linking [85], other [86] | VFA |
| Visceral fat attenuation: mean attenuation value within the visceral fat, in HU [51, 53, 87–93]. | – | VFA_HU | |
| Subcutaneous fat area: total area of fat tissue between the skin and abdominal/back wall, in mm2 [31, 51, 54, 55]. | FEM-based [68], separation mask [93], other [93] | SFA | |
| Subcutaneous fat attenuation: mean attenuation value within the subcutaneous fat, in HU [53, 87–91]. | – | SFA_HU | |
| Total abdominal fat area: combined area of visceral and subcutaneous fat tissue, plus intramuscular fat, in mm2 [93]. | – | TAA | |
| Total abdominal fat attenuation: mean attenuation value within the abdominal fat, in HU (ND). | – | TAA_HU | |
| Fat (thoracic) − 190 to − 30 HU |
Epicardial fat area: fat located between the heart and the pericardium, in mm2 [94–100]. | Random forest [101, 102], geodesic active contours [103], fuzzy C-means [104], other [105] | EFA |
| Epicardial fat attenuation: mean attenuation value within the epicardial fat, in HU [106] | – | EFA_HU |