Fetal hyperechogenic pancreas and gestational diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis

Gestational diabetes mellitus is the most common metabolic disorder in pregnancy, and it is associated with detrimental short- and long-term consequences to both the fetus and the mother. Some studies in the literature have found an association between the identification of fetal hyperechogenic pancreas via prenatal ultrasound and the presence of gestational diabetes mellitus. The aim of our study was to assess the association of fetal hyperechogenic pancreas with gestational diabetes mellitus using the meta-analytic method.

We searched electronic databases for articles describing association (or lack of) between fetal hyperechogenic pancreas and gestational diabetes mellitus. For each study, we identified patients with or without fetal hyperechogenic pancreas and with or without gestational diabetes mellitus. We then calculated risk ratios for gestational diabetes mellitus using the meta-analytic Mantel-Haenszel method with a random effect to estimate the risk ratio.

We identified 286 patients in 2 studies. The risk ratio of gestational diabetes mellitus in women with fetal hyperechogenic pancreas was 3.34, P<0.0001 (95% CI, 1.56-7.17; I²=82% [95% CI 22.7-95.7%]).

The presence of a fetal hyperechogenic pancreas was associated with gestational diabetes mellitus. We concluded that the detection of fetal pancreas echogenicity may be a promising indicator of gestational diabetes mellitus that, pending further research studies, can potentially help the clinician in making this diagnosis.