Examination of pancreatic volume and dimensions in 3D MR images of adult individuals using 3D slicer program

Aim: To guide surgeons in surgical interventions and to create the opportunity to comment by comparing the findings of studies conducted on diseased individuals with the organ structure of healthy individuals, the 3D Slicer computer software is used to determine the volume and dimensions of the pancreas in a large number of healthy individuals and to define the features related to pancreatic morphology. Materials and Methods: 3D MR images of the abdomen found in the archives of Pamukkale University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology since 2016 were used. 3D MR images were obtained using a 1.5 T (Ingenia; Philips Medical Systems, Best, the Netherlands, 2016) MRI device. These images were obtained in three dimensions with the help of the 3D Slicer 5.2.1 program accessed using an open access site, and volume, area and length measurements were calculated. Images taken since 2016 must belong to adult individuals. Diseases affecting the volume of the pancreas, such as patients with Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes, patients who underwent pancreatic resectomy, were not included in the study group. Analysis was performed with SPSS 25.0 (IBM SPSS Statics 25 software (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.)) package program. Continuous variables are given as mean ± standard deviation and categorical variables are given as numbers and percentages. In examining the differences between the groups, when the parametric test assumptions were met, the significance test of the difference between two means and one-way variance analysis were used, and when the parametric test assumptions were not met, the Mann Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis variance analysis were used. In examining the relationships between numerical data, Pearson or Spearman correlation analyses were used. The relationships between continuous variables were examined with Spearman or Pearson correlation analyses. The differences between categorical variables were examined with Chi-square analysis. In all examinations, p˂0.05 was accepted as statistically significant. Results: The average length of the caput pancreatis was calculated as 29.81±8.4 mm; the average length of the corpus pancreatis was 84.17±25.14 mm; the length of the cauda pancreatis was 32.55±12.82 mm; and the total length of the pancreas was 151.24±28.28 mm. The total area of the pancreas was measured as 23029.01±16913.08 mm2; and the total volume was measured as 82086.62±57433.63 mm3. Conclusion: This study determined the dimensions and volume of the pancreas in a large number of healthy individuals using 3D Slicer computer software to guide surgeons in surgical interventions and to create the opportunity to interpret the findings of studies conducted on diseased individuals by comparing them with the organ structure of healthy individuals. The characteristics related to pancreatic morphology in healthy adult individuals were defined for the first time with this method.