Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography in Determining the Effects of Type 1 Diabetes on Pancreas and Kidney Elasticity in Children

OBJECTIVE. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of type 1 diabetes on pancreas and kidney elasticity in children, using acoustic radiation force impulse ultrasound elastography. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Sixty autoantibody-positive patients with type 1 diabetes (45% girls; mean [+/- SD] age, 11.7 +/- 4.4 years; range, 1.9-19.3 years) admitted to the pediatric endocrinology outpatient clinic and 32 healthy children (50% girls; mean age, 10.2 +/- 3.8 years; range, 2.1-17.3 years) were included in the study. Acoustic radiation force impulse elastography measurements were performed of the kidneys and pancreas in both groups. Body mass index, duration of diabetes, HbA1c levels, and insulin dosage of patients with type 1 diabetes were recorded. RESULTS. The mean shear-wave velocities of the pancreas were 0.99 +/- 0.25 m/s in patients with type 1 diabetes and 1.09 +/- 0.22 m/s in healthy control subjects; the difference was not significant (p = 0.08). The median shear-wave velocities of the right and left kidneys in patients with type 1 diabetes were 2.43 +/- 0.29 and 2.47 +/- 0.25 m/s, respectively. There were no significant differences in the shear-wave velocities of the right and left kidneys between the patients with type 1 diabetes and the healthy control subjects (p = 0.91 and p = 0.73, respectively). Correlation analysis showed no correlation between the shear-wave velocities of the pancreas and kidney versus HbA1c level, duration of diabetes, insulin dosage, height, weight, and body mass index of the patients with type 1 diabetes. CONCLUSION. The current study showed no significant difference in the shear-wave velocity of kidneys in children with type 1 diabetes with normoalbuminuria compared with the healthy control subjects. We also observed that the shear-wave velocity of the pancreas in children with type 1 diabetes and healthy control subjects did not differ significantly.