Diffusion kurtosis imaging of the pancreas for the assessment of HbA1c levels

To evaluate the feasibility of diffusion kurtosis (DK) imaging of the pancreas for the assessment of hemoglobin (Hb) A1c values.Our Institutional Review Board approved this prospective study and written informed consent was obtained. In all, 102 consecutive patients with suspected pancreatic disease underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including DK imaging. Patients were classified into three groups according to American Diabetes Association criteria: HbA1c5.7% (group 1), 5.7% ≤ HbA1c6.5% (group 2), and HbA1c ≥ 6.5% (group 3). Mean kurtosis (MK) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of pancreatic parenchyma were computed. MRI measurements and HbA1c values were then compared.HbA1c values positively correlated with MK (r = 0.66, P0.0001). Group 3 was significantly (P0.05) higher (P0.05) in MK than groups 1 and 2. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve of the MK for the detection of group 3 were 90%, 88%, and 0.92, respectively.The MK measurement on DK imaging of the pancreas could be a potential biomarker for assessing HbA1c level.