Morphometric Study of the Developing Human Fetal Pancreas and Its Correlation with Gestational Age and Fetal Growth Parameters

Background: The fetal pancreas undergoes progressive enlargement during intrauterine life, and its gross growth parallels overall fetal development. Reliable gestational age wise morphometric reference data are limited, especially from Indian populations. The objective is to study morphometric parameters of the fetal pancreas in different gestational age groups and to correlate pancreatic morphometric parameters with gestational age and general fetal morphometric parameters. Material and Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy, Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Prayagraj, in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Thirty - one dead fetuses between 12 and 36 weeks of gestation were included. Fetal weight, crown-rump length, abdominal circumference, and head circumference were recorded. Pancreatic weight, length, width, and thickness were measured after dissection. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, one way ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: Mean gestational age was 25.61 ± 5.77 weeks. Mean pancreatic weight, length, width, and thickness were 1.05 ± 0.82 g, 18.30 ± 3.32 mm, 3.82 ± 1.13 mm, and 2.35 ± 1.05 mm, respectively. All pancreatic morphometric parameters increased significantly across gestational age groups (p < 0.0001). Pancreatic weight increased from 0.043 g at 12–16 weeks to 2.364 g at 33–36 weeks, while pancreatic length increased from 12.78 mm to 23.04 mm over the same interval. Strong positive correlations were observed between pancreatic morphometry and fetal growth parameters. The strongest association was between crown-rump length and pancreatic length (r = 0.912, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: The fetal pancreas shows a definite and progressive increase in gross morphometric parameters with advancing gestational age. Crown-rump length demonstrated the strongest correlation with pancreatic growth. These findings provide baseline morphometric data for normal fetal pancreatic development and may be useful for anatomical, radiological, and pathological reference.

Keywords: fetal pancreas, morphometry, gestational age, crown-rump length, pancreatic length, pancreatic weight.