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Normative values of pancreas stiffness by shear wave elastography in healthy children and adolescents
Mehmet Ozturk1, Emine Çalışkan2, Zuhal Bayramoglu3
1Department of Radiology, Division of Pediatric Radiology, Selcuk University Faculty of Medicine, Alaeddin Keykubat Yerleşkesi, Akademi Mah. Yeni Istanbul Street. No. 369, Konya, Turkey. drmehmet2121@gmail.com.
Insights
Shear wave elastography (SWE) defined normal pancreas elasticity and velocity in children. Pancreas stiffness increases with age, particularly during the transition to adolescence, but does not vary by gender or pancreatic section.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric imaging
- Gastroenterology
- Medical physics
Background:
- Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a non-invasive technique to assess tissue stiffness.
- Establishing normal reference values for pancreatic elasticity in children is crucial for diagnosing pancreatic diseases.
- Previous studies have not comprehensively defined normal pancreatic SWE values across different pediatric age groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine normal pancreas elasticity and velocity values using SWE in healthy children.
- To investigate the association of these values with gender, age, and body mass index (BMI).
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 100 healthy children aged 3-17 years.
- Pancreatic head, corpus, and tail stiffness and velocity were measured using SWE.
- Data were analyzed for correlations with gender, age, height, body weight, and BMI using statistical tests.
Main Results:
- Normal pancreatic elasticity (kPa) and velocity (m/s) ranges were established for pediatric populations.
- Pancreatic stiffness showed significant differences across age groups and mild positive correlations with age, height, weight, and BMI.
- No significant differences in stiffness were found between genders or pancreatic sections.
Conclusions:
- Normal pancreas elasticity and velocity values were successfully defined in children using SWE.
- Pancreatic stiffness increases with age, particularly from childhood to adolescence.
- Pancreatic stiffness is consistent across different pancreatic sections and genders.
Purpose:
To define normal pancreas elasticity and velocity values with shear wave elastography (SWE) in healthy children and assess associations with gender, age, and body mass index (BMI).
Methods:
This prospective study included a total of 100 cases (male: 50; female: 50), aged 3-17 years. Preschool, school, and adolescent periods of 3-6 years (n = 27), 7-12 years (n = 30), and 13-17 years (n = 43), respectively, were created in addition to two groups representing prepubertal and postpubertal periods of 3-10 years (n = 50) and 11-18 years (n = 50), respectively. Demographic data regarding the gender, age, height, body weight, and BMI were recorded. Pancreatic head, corpus, and tail SWE measurements were performed with a convex transducer (3.5-5 MHz). Correlations and comparisons were made for stiffness values between groups. Statistical analyses used Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman's correlation tests.
Results:
Medians (25-75th percentage) of age and BMI were 7 (4.25-10) years and 15 (13-17) years and 17.47 (14.94-19.23) kg/m2 and 21.22 (17.41-24) kg/m2 in the two age groups, respectively. The median (interquartile range) elasticity and velocity values for the head, corpus, and tail sections of the pancreas were measured as 9.35 (2.9) kPa and 1.76 (0.26) m/s; 9.3 (2.5) kPa and 1.74 (0.21) m/s; and 8.75 (2) kPa and 1.69 (0.15) m/s, respectively. No significant differences were identified for stiffness values between gender and pancreatic section. Pancreatic stiffness values were significantly different among two (p = 0.001) and three (p = 0.028) age groups, and presented mild positive correlations with age (r: 0.23, p: 0.002), height (r: 0.18, p: 0.01), body weight (r: 0.38, p: 0.003), and BMI (r: 0.37, p: 0.045).
Conclusion:
Normal elasticity and velocity values were defined for the pancreas with SWE in children. Pancreatic stiffness does not significantly change among pancreas parts, but it increases with the transition from childhood to adolescence.
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