Quantitative Edge Analysis of Pancreatic Margins in Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis: A Correlation with Exocrine Function

Abstract

Background: Many efforts have been made to improve accuracy and sensitivity in diagnosing chronic pancreatitis (CP), obtaining quantitative assessments related to functional data. Our purpose was to correlate a computer-assisted analysis of pancreatic morphology, focusing on glandular margins, with exocrine function—measured by fecal elastase values—in chronic pancreatitis patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed chronic pancreatitis patients who underwent fecal elastase assessment and abdominal MRI in our institute within 1 year. We identified 123 patients divided into three groups based on the fecal elastase value: group A with fecal elastase > 200 μg/g; group B with fecal elastase between 100 and 200 μg/g; and group C with fecal elastase < 100 μg/g. Computer-assisted quantitative edge analysis of pancreatic margins was made on non-contrast-enhanced water-only Dixon T1-weighted images, obtaining the pancreatic margin score (PMS). PMS values were compared across groups using a Kruskal–Wallis test and the correlation between PMS and fecal elastase values was tested with the Spearman’s test. Results: A significant difference in PMS was observed between the three groups (p < 0.0001), with a significant correlation between PMS and elastase values (r = 0.6080). Conclusions: Quantitative edge analysis may stratify chronic pancreatitis patients according to the degree of exocrine insufficiency, potentially contributing to the morphological and functional staging of this pathology.