Preliminary results on the relation between creeping fat and MRI markers of small bowel lesions in Crohn’s disease

Motivation: Visceral fat is known to have a specific distribution in Crohn's disease, however its relation to lesion severity has not been assessed thoroughly. Goal(s): We aimed to study the relation between creeping fat surrounding Crohn lesions and markers of lesion severity. Approach: Visceral fat was segmented in 30 controls and 35 Crohn patients, as well as the corresponding lesions. Fat ratios and density around the lesion were compared to lesion markers, such as ADC and relative enhancement. Results: Our preliminary results confirm the particular distribution of fat in Crohn's disease and the proposed tools may help better understand its relation to lesion severity. Impact: Visceral fat is known to have a specific distribution in Crohn's disease, however its relation to lesion severity has not been assessed thoroughly. Here we provide preliminary results on this relation using several quantitative MRI markers.