No evidence of ectopic lipid accumulation in the pathophysiology of the acromegalic cardiomyopathy.

CONTEXT: PATIENTS with acromegaly frequently display disturbances of glucose and lipid metabolism, which might contribute to their increased cardiovascular risk. Because insulin resistance and increased lipolysis have been linked to ectopic lipid deposition, altered lipid accumulation in the liver and the myocardium might contribute to metabolic and cardiac complications in these patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate myocardial (MYCL) and hepatic lipid content (HCL), insulin sensitivity, and cardiac function in active acromegaly and after control of GH excess through transsphenoidal surgery. PATIENTS: Ten patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly (ACRO_active) were compared with 12 healthy controls (CON), matched for age, body mass index, and gender. In seven patients GH excess was controlled, and they were compared with their active state. METHODS: MYCL and HCL were assessed by (1)H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy, pericardial fat and cardiac function by (1)H-magnetic resonance imaging, and insulin sensitivity and secretion by an oral glucose tolerance test. RESULTS: Although MYCL tended to be lower, HCL was significantly lower in ACRO_active compared with CON (HCL: 1.2% ± 1.2% vs 4.3% ± 3.5% of (1)H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy signal, P < .02). Parameters of systolic function and hypertrophy were significantly increased in ACRO_active compared with CON, as were insulin secretion and resistance. After the control of GH excess, HCL and MYCL remained unchanged, but pericardial fat was increased in the patients in whom GH excess was controlled (from 11.6 ± 5.5 to 14.7 ± 6.2 cm(2), P = .02). CONCLUSION: Acromegaly represents a unique condition characterized by low myocardial and hepatic lipid content despite decreased insulin sensitivity, hyperinsulinemia, and hyperglycemia. Hence, ectopic lipid accumulation does not appear to contribute to cardiac morbidity, and increased lipid oxidation might counteract ectopic lipid accumulation in GH excess.

One-dimensional image-selected in vivo spectroscopy localized phosphorus saturation transfer at 7T.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of a one-dimensional image-selected in vivo spectroscopy (1D-ISIS) saturation transfer (ST) sequence at 7T for localized in vivo measurements of energy metabolism in different tissues in clinically reasonable examination times. METHODS: The performance of a gradient offset independent adiabacity-based 1D-ISIS localization was tested on phantom and the localized ST sequence was compared with the nonlocalized version in vivo. We performed localized measurements of basal metabolism of human liver and different muscle groups of the calf. Localized ST experiments took 15-25 minutes. RESULTS: The selectivity of the 1D-ISIS sequence was 81.63% and the outer volume suppression was 97.57%. The ST parameters acquired with the 1D-ISIS sequence and with the nonlocalized acquisition in the muscle were not statistically different. The forward rate constants for phosphocreatine (PCr)-adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and inorganic phosphate (Pi)-ATP exchange reactions were measured in the soleus (kCK = 0.30 ± 0.06 s(-1) and kATP = 0.11 ± 0.02 s(-1) , respectively) and in the medial gastrocnemius (kCK = 0.27 ± 0.06 s(-1) and kATP = 0.09 ± 0.03s(-1) , respectively) in 15 minutes per muscle group. The corresponding fluxes were FCK = 6.26 ± 1.28 µmol/g/s, FATP = 0.22 ± 0.05 µmol/g/s and FCK = 6.29 ± 1.66 µmol/g/s, FATP = 0.21 ± 0.07 µmol/g/s, for soleus and gastrocnemius, respectively. The hepatic ATP synthesis measurement was feasible in 24 minutes. CONCLUSION: The fast assessment of PCr-ATP and Pi-ATP exchange rates at 7T makes the 1D-ISIS ST sequence a promising tool for examining local resting-state metabolism in clinically acceptable measurement times.