The relation of CT quantified pancreatic fat index with visceral adiposity and hepatic steatosis
Aysegul Gursoy Coruh1
, Caglar Uzun1, Zehra Akkaya1, Atilla Halil Elhan2
1Ankara University, School Of Medicine, Radiology, Ankara, Turkey
2Ankara University, School Of Medicine, Biostatistics, Ankara, Turkey
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between pancreatic steatosis and visceral adiposity. Furthermore, the study sought to explore the association between pancreatic steatosis, pancreas volume, hepatic steatosis, age, and sex in adults without prior history of pancreatic disease. The research also served to define a cut-off value of visceral fat tissue area (VFA) predicting fatty pancreas.
Materials and Methods: CT scans of 98 living-liver donor transplant patients without prior history of pancreatic disease were evaluated for the presence of fatty pancreas. Pancreas volume, VFA, subcutaneous-total FA, VFA/TFA ratios of the patients with and without fatty pancreas were quantified with a semi-automated model on CT. Coexistence of hepatic steatosis was also recorded.
Results: VFA, TFA and VFA/TFA were significantly greater in the fatty group (p<0.001, p<0.001, p<0.001; respectively), and pancreatic steatosis was moderately correlated with VFA, VFA/TFA and TFA with the highest correlation coefficient with VFA (r=-0.715, r=-0.605, r=-0.573, respectively; p<0.001 for all). A cut-off value of VFA ≥ 107.2 cm2 estimates pancreatic steatosis with a sensitivity and specificity of 90% (95% CI=77-96%) and 87.9% (95% CI=77%-94%), respectively. Pancreas volume was higher in the fatty-group with a mean value of 86.5±17.3 mL (range; 58-119.2 mL, p=0.097). In multiple logistic regression analyses, pancreatic steatosis was significantly associated with VFA and the male sex (OR=58.2, 95% CI=12.2-277.1, p<0.001; OR=11.4, 95% CI=2.1-63.4, p<0.001; respectively). 77.5% of the fatty pancreas subjects had co-existing hepatic steatosis.
Conclusion: Pancreatic steatosis is related to higher VFA, VFA/TFA and hepatic steatosis. A cut-off value of VFA ≥ 107.2 cm2 may predict pancreatic steatosis.
Keywords: pancreas, lipomatosis, liver steatosis, multislice computed tomography, visceral obesity, organ volume
Ethics committee approval was received for this study from Ankara University Faculty of Medicine Human Research Et- hics Committee (2020/İ4-224-20).
Externally peer-reviewed.
Concept - A.G.Ç.; Design - A.G.Ç.; Supervision - A.G.Ç., Ç.U.; Materials - A.G.Ç.; Data Collection and/or Processing - A.G.C., Z.A.; Analysis and Interpretation - A.H.E.; Literature Review - A.G.Ç.; Writing Manuscript - A.G.Ç.; Critical Reviews - Ç.U., A.G.Ç.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
The authors declared that this study has received no financial support.