Three-dimensional imaging reconstruction of pancreatic head based on embryological fusion plane of the pancreas / 中华肝胆外科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To construct a three-dimensional imaging model of the pancreatic head based on the embryological fusion plane, and to provide morphological parameters of the pancreatic head for future developments of basic and clinical researches on the pancreas.Methods:Histologic cross-sections of the pancreatic head with its adjacent structures were made from healthy cadavers. Immunohistochemical analysis of pancreatic polypeptide antibody was then performed to verify the existence and location of the embryological fusion plane reported previously. The histologically positioning method of the embryological fusion plane was then applied to the corresponding sections on computed tomography (CT). Based on the results of the above work, volunteers from the Affiliated Changzhou No. 2 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were then used as research objects. A three-dimensional visualization reconstruction software was used to perform CT image-based structures to include the abdominal pancreas, dorsal pancreas head, and embryo fusion surface. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the pancreatic head, and morphological measurements of the relevant structures of the pancreatic head were then made.Results:Immunohistochemical analysis verified the existence and the position of the embryological fusion plane. The histologically positioning method was then successfully applied to the CT sections. The three-dimensional imaging model of the pancreatic head containing the embryological fusion plane, dorsal segment and ventral segment of head were built based on CT images. A total of 35 volunteers were included, including 19 males and 16 females, aged (48.26±8.26) years, and with a BMI of (22.29±1.78) kg/m 2. The morphological results showed that the volume of the pancreatic head, dorsal pancreas and abdominal pancreas were (32.80±8.15) cm 3, (22.21±6.94) cm 3, (10.59±3.87) cm 3, and the area of the embryo fusion surface was (12.46±3.20) cm 2. All volunteers were then grouped according to gender. Statistical analysis showed that there were no significant differences in the total pancreatic head volume, dorsal pancreatic head volume, abdominal pancreatic volume, and embryo fusion area among the groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:It was feasible and practical to build a three-dimensional imaging model of the pancreatic head based on the embryological fusion plane by using a 3D computer system. This model and its morphological parameters could provide a new tool for research on pancreas.