Obesity influences effectiveness of injected drugs

Article

The size of one’s backside is normally a sensitive subject, but at the RSNA meeting the topic was the focus of a scientific study presented Sunday. The study found that patients with large behinds do not receive the biggest benefit from vaccines and other injections into the buttocks.

The size of one's backside is normally a sensitive subject, but at the RSNA meeting the topic was the focus of a scientific study presented Sunday. The study found that patients with large behinds do not receive the biggest benefit from vaccines and other injections into the buttocks.

The study, by Victoria Chan and colleagues at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, involved 60 obese men and women scheduled for CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis and who were receiving intramuscular medication. The team found that 68% of intramuscular injections did not reach the muscles of buttock.

The overall success rate of the injections was 32%. The success rate among men was 56% compared to only 8% among women. Compared to men, women typically have a higher amount of fat in their buttocks.

Medications are designed so that the proper dosage is absorbed into the blood stream from the muscle. Because fat tissue has far fewer blood vessels than muscle, less medication is absorbed into the blood stream and delivered to its intended anatomic target.

"The amount of fat tissue overlying the muscles exceeds the length of the needles commonly used for these injections," Chan said.

As a solution, Chan proposed using longer needs to increase the success rate of intramuscular injections.

Recent Videos
Improving Access to Nuclear Imaging: An Interview with SNMMI President Jean-Luc C. Urbain, MD, PhD
SNMMI: 18F-Piflufolastat PSMA PET/CT Offers High PPV for Local PCa Recurrence Regardless of PSA Level
SNMMI: NIH Researcher Discusses Potential of 18F-Fluciclovine for Multiple Myeloma Detection
SNMMI: What Tau PET Findings May Reveal About Modifiable Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease
Emerging Insights on the Use of FES PET for Women with Lobular Breast Cancer
Can Generative AI Reinvent Radiology Reporting?: An Interview with Samir Abboud, MD
Mammography Study Reveals Over Sixfold Higher Risk of Advanced Cancer Presentation with Symptom-Detected Cancers
Combining Advances in Computed Tomography Angiography with AI to Enhance Preventive Care
Study: MRI-Based AI Enhances Detection of Seminal Vesicle Invasion in Prostate Cancer
What New Research Reveals About the Impact of AI and DBT Screening: An Interview with Manisha Bahl, MD
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.