• G Metry, H Mallmin, B Wikström, and B G Danielson.
• Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
• Artif Organs. 1997 Sep 1; 21 (9): 969-76.

AbstractAlterations in body composition during extracorporeal hemodialysis (HD) were investigated in 12 hemodialysis patients (9 males and 3 females, mean age 50 +/- 15 years) with a mean ultrafiltration of 2.6 +/- 1.0 L. Analysis was performed using a dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry technique (DXA), which measures 3 principal components of the body: fat mass (FM): lean body mass (LBM), i.e., all soft tissues excluding fat; and bone mineral content (BMC). These 3 components were calculated for the whole body and for different body regions (namely, the thorax, trunk, lower limbs, and upper limbs). The thoracic cage region could be defined manually, separately from the trunk, and its tissue composition was calculated. DXA analysis was performed concomitant with a measurement of the basal thoracic impedance (TFI) by bioimpedance cardiography prior to and 1 h after dialysis. We found a significant decrease in the total LBM, from 55.8 +/- 8.8 to 53.3 +/- 9.3 kg (p < 0.05), but no change in either the FM or BMC. Moreover, there was a disproportional reduction in the LBM in different regions, being significantly greater in the thorax (7.47 +/- 3.7%) than in the other body regions (trunk 4.3 +/- 2.0%, lower limbs 5.4 +/- 2.1%, and upper limbs 4.7 +/- 1.5%). Regarding bioimpedance, a stronger significant correlation was detected between the percentage changes in the TFI and the changes in thoracic fluid (r = 0.80, p < 0.01) than between the changes in the TFI and the changes in the total body fluid (r = 0.63, p < 0.01). The absolute values of the TFI were also significantly and negatively correlated to the thoracic lean mass to fat mass ratio, both before and after HD (r = 0.82, p < 0.001 and r = 0.86, p < 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, DXA is a very sensitive technique to detect fluid changes during HD in the thorax when the thoracic cavity is defined as a region of interest as well as for the whole body. The data also indicate an extracellular compartmental imbalance between different regions with a significantly greater change in the thoracic region. Transthoracic bioimpedance is a useful technique for evaluating the HD induced changes in the thoracic fluid, rather than total body fluid.

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