TY - JOUR T1 - Fetal pancreatic, hepatic, and adipose tissue measurements in maternal diabetes mellitus: an observational cross-sectional study AU - Ersan, Fırat AU - Alpay, Verda AU - Kurt Bilirer, Kübra AU - Boza, Barış AU - Erenel, Hakan PY - 2026 DA - March Y2 - 2026 DO - 10.47582/jompac.1873615 JF - Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care JO - J Med Palliat Care / JOMPAC / jompac PB - MediHealth Academy Yayıncılık WT - DergiPark SN - 2717-7505 SP - 225 EP - 231 VL - 7 IS - 2 LA - en AB - Aims: To assess the effects of maternal diabetes mellitus on fetal organ development through ultrasonographic assessment of pancreatic circumference, liver length, and subcutaneous fat thickness in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), pregestational diabetes mellitus (PreGDM), and normal pregnancies. A secondary objective is to evaluate the fetal pancreas-to-liver ratio as a novel marker of the relative effects of maternal diabetes on different organs.Methods: This prospective comparative study included 126 pregnant women divided into three groups: GDM (n=42), PreGDM (n=42), and control (n=42). Ultrasonographic measurements of fetal pancreatic circumference, liver length, and subcutaneous fat thickness were obtained between 28 and 36 weeks of gestation. Maternal demographic characteristics and birth parameters were collected from all participants. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance for detecting GDM. Results: Significant differences were observed in all fetal organ measurements between diabetic and control groups. Fetal pancreatic circumference was increased in both GDM (90.8±19.2 mm) and PreGDM (90.4±17.0 mm) compared to controls (81.0±9.8 mm, p=0.007). Fetal liver length showed a significant increase in GDM (53.4±12.2 mm) and PreGDM (51.2±9.6 mm) versus controls (44.5±5.6 mm, p KW - Gestational diabetes mellitus KW - pregestational diabetes mellitus KW - fetal pancreas KW - fetal liver KW - ultrasound KW - prenatal diagnosis CR - Tigli A, Baykus Y, Deniz R, et al. Metabolic biomarkers in early detection of gestational diabetes mellitus: a prospective diagnostic accuracy study. Front Med (Lausanne). 2026;13:1765602. doi:10.3389/fmed.2026.1765602 CR - Metzger BE, Gabbe SG, Persson B, et al. International association of diabetes and pregnancy study groups recommendations on the diagnosis and classification of hyperglycemia in pregnancy. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(3):676-682. doi:10.2337/dc09-1848 CR - Wicklow B, Retnakaran R. Gestational diabetes mellitus and its implications across the life span. Diabetes Metab J. 2023;47(3):333-344. doi:10.4093/dmj.2022.0348 CR - Deputy NP, Kim SY, Conrey EJ, Bullard KM. 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