Pancreas volumes and predictive factors in healthy children.

backgroundPancreas volume might be a quantitative metric of pancreas health and function in children.

objectiveTo establish normative pancreas volumes and determine factors associated with pancreas volume. MATERIALS AND

methodsWe conducted a retrospective study of 140 healthy children (balanced from 0 to 18 years, stratified by age and gender) who underwent contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen. Pancreas volume was manually segmented by a single reviewer using 3D Slicer and corrected by a pediatric radiologist. We used Bland-Altman difference analysis to quantify differences in initial and refined segmented pancreas volume, and the Mann-Whitney U test to compare continuous variables. We used Pearson correlation for univariate associations. To determine predictors, we used multivariable regression. Finally, we generated quantile regression equations to determine pancreas volume based on age or body surface area (BSA).

resultsPancreas volume for the study sample ranged from 2 mL to 99 mL. Age (r=0.90, P<0.0001), body mass index (BMI) (r=0.66, P<0.0001), BSA (r=0.94, P<0.0001), height (r=0.91, P<0.0001) and weight (r=0.90, P<0.0001) were all positively correlated with pancreas volume on univariate analysis. On multivariable analysis, BSA (+36 mL/m

conclusionWe report pancreas volumes for healthy children. We found that age, BMI, BSA, height and weight were each significantly, positively correlated with pancreas volume in univariate analyses, while BSA and female gender were significant independent predictive factors on multivariable analysis.