Preliminary Investigation of Normal Pancreas Elasticity using Point Shear Wave Elastography

Point shear wave elastography (pSWE) is used to provide quantitative information about the elasticity of the tissues. It has been used in many clinical applications to identify diseases early. This study aims to assess the suitability of pSWE to evaluate pancreas tissue stiffness and provide normal reference values for healthy pancreas tissues.

This study was conducted in the diagnostic department at a tertiary care hospital between October and December 2021. Sixteen healthy volunteers (eight men and eight women) participated. Pancreas elasticity measurements were obtained in different regions of interest (head, body, and tail). Scanning was performed by a certified sonographer using Philips EPIC7 ultrasound systems (Philips Ultrasound; Bothel, WA, USA).

The mean velocity of the head of the pancreas was 1.3 ± 0.3 m/s (median: 1.2 m/s), the body was 1.4 ± 0.3 m/s (median: 1.4 m/s), and the tail was 1.4 ± 0.4 m/s (median: 1.2 m/s). The mean dimension was 17 ± 3 mm, 14 ± 4 mm, and 14 ± 6 mm for the head, body, and tail. The correlation of pancreas velocity across different segments and dimensions shows no significant difference with p values of 0.39 and 0.11, respectively.

This study shows that assessing the elasticity of the pancreas using pSWE is possible. A combination of SWVs measurements and dimensions could provide an early evaluation of pancreas status. Further studies including pancreatic disease patients are recommended.