Assessment of Normal Pancreatic Stiffness Using 3T Magnetic Resonance Elastography

This study aimed to establish the normal range of pancreatic stiffness in adults using 3T magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and investigate how factors such as age, sex, pancreatic diameter, and anthropometric characteristics influence pancreatic stiffness.

We aimed to provide data to the literature in determining the stiffness values of normal pancreatic tissue with 3T MRE.

Patient demographic data, including age, sex, and body mass index (BMI), were collected. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MRE parameters were extracted from the hospital's radiology database. Medical history, including liver or pancreatic conditions, was obtained from the patients and confirmed through electronic medical records.

The study included 54 patients, comprising 31 males (57.4%) and 23 females (42.6%), with a mean age of 35.8 ± 9.18 years. The average BMI was 24.73 ± 1.83 kg/m². The pancreatic diameters were 20.80 ± 2.13 cm (CC) and 19.93 ± 3.29 cm (AP). The mean pancreatic stiffness was 1587.09 ± 114.90 Pascals (Pa). No significant correlations were found between pancreatic stiffness and age (r = -0.128, P = 0.358), sex (r = -0.051, P = 0.716), BMI (r = -0.026, P = 0.850), pancreatic CC diameter (r = -0.090, P = 0.519), or AP diameter (r = 0.054, P = 0.701).

This study provides reliable baseline values for normal pancreatic stiffness (1587.09 ± 114.90 Pa) using 3T MRE, which is essential for distinguishing normal from pathological tissue. These findings suggest that demographic and anatomical factors have little impact on pancreatic stiffness, supporting the potential of MRE in evaluating pancreatic diseases.