A Study of Exocrine Pancreatic Function Based on the Pancreatic Duct Drainage

Abstract

The exocrine pancreatic function in 19 patients with external pancreatic duct drainage was studied from the points of the nasogastric suction, ingestion and the overall postoperative recovery pattern after upper abdominal surgery.
In addition, the correlation between averaged daily pancreatic secretion and the pancreatic histology was investigated by means of histometry, having taken the resected volume of pancreas into consideration in pancreatoduodenectomy or distal pancreatectomy.
The results are as follows:
1) The postoperative pancreatic function recovered in 10th to 14th day after surgery and its secretory recovery pattern was indifferent to the type of operation.
2) The change of exocrine pancreatic function caused by ceasing of nasogastric suction or by starting of ingestion did not influence the postoperative recovery pattern, at least concerning in the postoperative period of this study.
3) Daily outputs of both bicarbonate and enzymes were minimal in the nocturnal fraction of 6 hour collections.
4) The mean daily values of the normal pancreas in the adult were determined. These were 891ml in volume, 85.79mEq in bicarbonate, 25323U in amylase, 294297IU in lipase and 52569IU in trypsin.
5) It was revealed from the histometrical examination of the pancreas that the parenchyma in microscopically normal pancreas occupied over 90% of its tissue.
6) Under the endogenous stimulation of the pancreas, i.e., dietary stimulation, the pancreatic exocrine function was well correlated with its parenchymal volume. It was so, even under the exogenous stimulation by secretin and/or pancreozymin.