Role of the fetal pancreas size in prediction of early neonatal hypoglycemia in maternal diabetes mellitus
Abstract
Background. The fetal pancreas is involved in regulation of glucose levels in both fetal and maternal plasma. Maternal hyperglycemia, regardless of the type of diabetes mellitus (DM), is accompanied by fetal hyperglycemia. This stress of the fetal pancreatic function causes a compensatory increase in the pancreas size, the development of fetal hyperinsulinemia and of neonatal hypoglycemia in the first hours of life. The frequency of laboratory hypoglycemia varies 21-60%, while its clinical symptoms are present in 25-33% of cases. Aim. To assess the prognostic value of the increase in fetal pancreas size on the eve of delivery as a predictor of neonatal hypoglycemia in maternal DM. Methods. Ultrasound of the fetal pancreas was performed in 241 pregnant women with DM (main group) and in 427 healthy pregnant women (control group). In the main group, 141 (58.5%) pregnant women had children with signs of diabetic fetopathy (DF). The size of the fetal pancreas was estimated. In newborns, glycemia was measured on the 1st and 3rd days of life. A retrospective correlation analysis of the fetal pancreas size and the neonatal glycemia was performed on the 1st and the 3rd days of life. Results. A negative linear correlation was found between the pancreas thickness and neonatal hypoglycemia on the 1st day of life (linear correlation coefficient, R, -0.66). On the 1st day of life in 87.5-100% of these newborns, hypoglycemia is observed, which is more pronounced in premature infants and which remains through the 3rd day of life in 50% of them. Conclusion. The thickness of the fetal pancreas is a more informative and reproducible indicator than its length, which was statistically significant in groups both with and without DF. Poor glycemic control in mothers increases the risk of neonatal hypoglycemia up to 100%. More pronounced hypoglycemia is observed in premature infants and persists through the 3rd day of life in half of them.
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