A roentgen study of the effect of exclusion of pancreatic juice from the intestine on gastrointestinal motor activity in the dog.

Abstract

In a previous study the effects of the loss of both intrinsic and extrinsic secretions of the pancreas upon the roentgenologic appearance of the gastrointestinal tract of dogs were evaluated (11). Hyperglycemia in the depancreatized animals was associated with a marked delay in gastrointestinal motility. During insulin-induced hypoglycemia, normal, and at times rapid, gastric emptying and small-intestinal transit times were noted. In these experiments it was not possible to ascribe any of the effects observed to a loss of the external secretion of the pancreas because, if any were present, they could have been masked by the influence of the abnormal blood sugar levels. In order to study this problem further, the roentgen procedures were repeated with non-diabetic dogs in which the external pancreatic secretion was prevented from entering the intestine by ligation of the pancreatic ducts. Material and Methods The gastrointestinal tracts of three young adult dogs were examined roentgeno-graphically by the method previously described (11). Subsequently the animals were subjected to laparotomy3 under intravenous Nembutal anesthesia. The pancreas and duodenal loop were exposed; the common duct and both pancreatic ducts were identified. The pancreatic ducts were ligated and the pancreas was separated from the duodenum throughout its length, its blood supply being left intact at each end. Omentum was interposed between the pancreas and the duo-denum. The denuded areas of the gland were thus covered in an attempt to provide a barrier to fistula formation between the pancreas and bowel. The abdomen was then closed. Following a one-week recovery period the roentgen examinations of the gastrointestinal tract were repeated. Throughout the experiment the dogs were maintained on a routine kennel diet. Immediately following the last roentgen examination each dog was again subjected to laparotomy under intravenous Nembutal anesthesia. The pylorus and the duodenum distal to the pancreas were ligated. From the distal end of the closed duodenal loop the content was aspirated and analyzed for pancreatic enzymes. The pylorus, duodenum, and pancreas were then removed, and the animal was exsanguinated. The roentgen appearance of the gastrointestinal tract was subjected to analysis, with special attention to gastric emptying time, tone, and motility, and to small-intestinal transit time, tone, and continuity of pattern. Results Stomach (Table I; Fig. 1): The median value for gastric emptying in the three of the transit time was 130 minutes, with extremes at 80 and 200 minutes. The small-intestinal transit time for individual dogs was also in the general range of those found preoperatively. Tone, as indicated by the width of the barium column, and its continuity, were unchanged following ligation of the ducts. Colon: The width of the proximal colon was measured, on first filling when possible.