Archives of Medical Science | 2021
Sonographic measurement of the fetal pancreas in women with gestational diabetes
Abstract
Maternal glycemic state is positively correlated with fetal insulin secretion. Randomized control studies have shown that treatment during pregnancy inhibits to some degree this glycemic effect. Our study aimed to assess fetal pancreas size in a\xa0population of treated mothers with gestational diabetes.A\xa0cross-sectional, prospective observational study was conducted. Pregnant women at 19–36 weeks of gestation with pre-gestational diabetes receiving insulin therapy or with gestational diabetes receiving either insulin or oral hypoglycemic therapy were recruited. The fetal pancreas circumference was measured and compared to the normal reference range. The Z\xa0score of the difference between measured and normal predicted mean pancreas circumference, the regression analysis throughout pregnancy, and the correlation between estimated fetal weight centile and pancreas circumference were calculated.Ninety-one women who had gestational diabetes and thirty-four women who had pre-gestational diabetes were included in the study. For both groups, fetal pancreas circumference correlated significantly with abdominal circumference, estimated fetal weight and gestational age. The mean Z\xa0score between the predicted pancreas circumference in the group of women diagnosed with gestational diabetes and the predicted pancreas circumference in a\xa0normal population peaked at around 24 weeks of gestation (1.1) and decreased gradually afterward to a\xa0value of zero at 37 weeks. The mean Z\xa0score between the predicted pancreas circumference in the group of women with pre-gestational diabetes and the predicted pancreas circumference in a\xa0normal population constantly decreased with duration of pregnancy. It was positive until the 25th week of gestation and then presented negative values towards the term.The presented preliminary data suggest a\xa0possible correlation between glycemic control treatment, pancreas size, and gestational age.