A comparison of pancreatitis induced by high or low pressure injections of enzymes into the canine pancreatic duct.

Purified pancreatic enzymes produced a substantial inflammatory response in the canine pancreas when injected under low pressure (40-60 cm). When high pressures in the range of 140 mm Hg were employed, the severity of the inflammatory response was considerably increased, and systemic hypotension and portal hypertension were common findings. The latter circulatory changes appeared to be related to a large load of enzyme-rich fluid absorbed predominantly by the venous route, and, to a lesser degree, by the lymphatics draining the interstitium of the gland. High pressure infusion appears to introduce variables that increase the intensity of the pathologic changes in the pancreas and the portal and systemic circulations. Infusion pressures within the range of physiologic probability appear to result in a lesion with less injection artifact. Studies involving experimental pancreatitis should take these factors into account, particularly when hemodynamic changes are an important consideration.