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3D MR elastography of the pancreas in children

Suraj D Serai1,2, Maisam Abu-El-Haija3,4, Andrew T Trout5,4

  • 1Department of Radiology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. serais@email.chop.edu.

Abdominal Radiology (New York)
|January 27, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) can detect chronic pancreatitis (CP) in children. Pancreas stiffness was significantly lower in pediatric patients with acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) or CP compared to healthy controls.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Imaging
  • Gastroenterology
  • Pediatric Imaging

Background:

  • Early diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis (CP) remains a clinical challenge.
  • Preliminary studies suggest Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) may aid in CP identification.
  • Assessing pancreatic stiffness in pediatric patients requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To measure pancreas stiffness using MRE in healthy children.
  • To compare MRE-measured pancreas stiffness in healthy children versus pediatric patients with acute recurrent pancreatitis (ARP) or CP.
  • To evaluate the diagnostic value of MRE in pediatric pancreatic diseases.

Main Methods:

  • A 3D MRE technique was employed on a 1.5T MR scanner.
  • 49 healthy children and 14 pediatric patients with ARP or CP were included.
  • Pancreatic stiffness was measured by two blinded readers, with statistical analysis performed for group comparisons.

Main Results:

  • Mean pancreas stiffness in healthy children was 1.7 kPa, while in patients with ARP or CP, it was significantly lower (0.9-1.1 kPa; p < 0.001).
  • Strong inter-reader agreement was observed (r = 0.81; p < 0.001).
  • MRE of the pancreas is feasible in pediatric patients, establishing normal stiffness values and demonstrating reduced stiffness in ARP/CP.

Conclusions:

  • 3D MRE of the pancreas is a viable imaging technique for pediatric patients.
  • This study defines normal pancreatic stiffness in children.
  • MRE reveals decreased pancreatic stiffness in pediatric patients with ARP or CP, suggesting its potential as a diagnostic tool.
Abstract

Keywords:
3D MREChildren adolescentsMR elastographyMR elastography of pancreasMREMagnetic resonance imagingPancreasPancreas MREPancreas stiffnessPediatric

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