ABSTRACT
Objective To study the effects of pioglitazone on visceral fat tissue metabolic activity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus or impaired glucose tolerance by using 18 fluoro deoxy glucose (FDG)‐positron emission tomography (PET)andcomputed tomography (CT)imaging. Methods FDG‐PET and CT imaging were performed in 62 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM ) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT ). Lipid and glycemic profiles and inflammatory markers were detected in all patients. These patients randomly received treatments with either pioglitazone or glimepiride for 16 weeks.Results After 16 weeks ,pioglitazone‐treated group versus glimepiride‐treated group showed a significantly decreased visceral fat area[(109.1 ± 45.0) vs(122.5 ± 52.0 )cm2 ] and a significantly decreased visceral fat metabolic activity[(0.47 ± 0.11)vs(0.55 ± 0.11)](P<0.05). Conclusion Our study indicates that pioglitazone decreases the visceral fat volume and its metabolic activity in patients with T 2DM or IGT.