Pancreas volume in health and disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The pancreas plays a central role in metabolism and is involved in the pathogenesis of several diseases. Pancreas volume is a holistic quantitative measure of pancreas size but the clinical relevance of pancreas volumetry is poorly understood.

Areas covered: The aim was to systematically review studies in adults that used computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging to measure pancreas volume in health and disease, to determine normal pancreas volume range, and to quantify changes in pancreas volume that are associated with disease.

Expert commentary: The normal pancreas volume range in adults is 71–83 cm³, with no statistically significant difference between men and women. Type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes are associated with a progressively reduced pancreas volume. Overweight and obesity are associated with a progressively increased pancreas volume. There is a paucity of studies on pancreas volume in the setting of diseases of the exocrine pancreas, which should become a research priority in the future.

KEYWORDS:

• Pancreas volume
• pancreatic diseases
• diabetes
• obesity
• computed tomography imaging
• magnetic resonance imaging

Declaration of interest

This study was part of the Clinical and epidemiOlogical inveStigations in Metabolism, nutritiOn, and pancreatic diseaseS (COSMOS) program. COSMOS is supported, in part, by the Royal Society of New Zealand (Rutherford Discovery Fellowship to Associate Professor Max Petrov), which played no role in the study design; collection, analysis, or interpretation of data; or writing of the manuscript. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was in part supported by a grant from the Health Research Council of New Zealand.