Use of the Electronic Medical Record to Assess Pancreas Size in Type 1 Diabetes

AimsThis study harnessed the electronic medical record to assess pancreas volume in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and matched controls to determine whether pancreas volume is altered in T1D and identify covariates that influence pancreas volume.MethodsThis study included 25 patients with T1D and 25 age-, sex-, and weight-matched controls from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center enterprise data warehouse. Measurements of pancreas volume were made from medical imaging studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT).ResultsPatients with T1D had a pancreas volume 47% smaller than matched controls (41.16 ml vs. 77.77 ml, P ConclusionsPancreas volume declines with disease duration in patients with T1D, suggesting a protracted pathological process that may include the exocrine pancreas.