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Can sonographic imaging of the fetal pancreas predict perinatal outcomes in gestational diabetes mellitus?

  • Hakan Golbasi ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Burak Bayraktar ORCID logo , Ceren Golbasi ORCID logo , Ibrahim Omeroglu ORCID logo , Duygu Adiyaman ORCID logo , Baris Sever ORCID logo and Atalay Ekin ORCID logo
Published/Copyright: May 25, 2022

Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate whether fetal pancreatic echogenicity and its measurements are associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and perinatal outcomes.

Methods

A prospective cohort study was conducted with 150 pregnant women with a singleton pregnancy. The study included pregnant women between 30 and 41 weeks with or without GDM. Fetal pancreatic circumference was measured using the free-hand tracking function. The echogenicity of the fetal pancreas was compared with the echogenicity of the liver and bone (ribs, spine) and classified as Grades 1, 2 and 3. The relationship between maternal characteristics and perinatal outcomes with fetal pancreas measurements and echogenicity was evaluated.

Results

Pregnant women with 75 GDM and 75 without GDM were included in the study. Mean fetal pancreas circumference measurements were significantly higher in pregnant women with GDM than in those without GDM (p=0.001). Hyperechogenic (Grade 3) fetal pancreas was significantly higher in pregnant women with GDM than in pregnant women without GDM, and there was a positive correlation between pancreatic echogenicity and HbA1c levels in pregnant women with GDM (r=0.631, p<0.01). There was a significant relationship between pancreatic echogenicity, measurements and adverse neonatal outcomes in pregnant women with GDM, and pancreas measurements were significantly higher in pregnant women with cesarean delivery.

Conclusions

Fetal pancreatic echogenicity and measurements in pregnant women with GDM can give an idea about glucose regulation and adverse perinatal outcomes.


Corresponding author: Hakan Golbasi, MD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Division of Perinatology, University of Health Sciences Tepecik Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey, Phone: +90 532 120 35 39, Fax: +902324579651, E-mail:

  1. Research funding: None declared.

  2. Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: Authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.

  5. Ethical approval: Research involving human subjects complied with all relevant national regulations, institutional policies and is in accordance with the tenets of the Helsinki Declaration (as revised in 2013), and has been approved by the authors. The Local Institutional Review Board approval number: 2020/14-9.

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Received: 2022-01-30
Accepted: 2022-04-27
Published Online: 2022-05-25
Published in Print: 2022-11-25

© 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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