“TOTAL” PANCREATECTOMY IN THE RAT: OPERATION, EFFECTS, AND POSTOPERATIVE CARE

TOTAL extirpation of the pancreas in the dog and the cat results in the immediate onset of severe diabetes and marked impairment of the intestinal absorption of food (1, 2, 3). If not treated with insulin, they die within a few days in diabetic coma. Total pancreatectomy in the rat is difficult because of certain anatomical peculiarities of the pancreas in this species. The gland extends over a large area and has numerous pancreatic ducts that empty directly into the common bile duct (4). Although several methods have been described for extirpating the rat's pancreas (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), only one author (8) has reported the immediate onset of diabetes after pancreatectomy; none have described impaired absorption of food. Many of the workers reported that the operated rats survived for several months in good health without being treated with insulin. Because of these results it has been generally concluded that the rat does not become as severely or as quickly diabetic after pancreatectomy as do other species (12).