Microvasculature of the human pancreas. A microangiographic study.

The microvasculature of six human pancreases was studied immediately after resection. Three of the pancreases were histologically normal, two were fibrotic, and one was inflamed. Immediately after resection a 10% Micropaque (Nicholas) solution was infused into the lienal artery for 1 h, and the tissue was studied by microangiography. The microvasculature of the normal human pancreas is very similar to the pancreatic microvasculature of the rat. Changes produced by inflammation in human pancreas seem to be similar to changes in the rat pancreas with experimental pancreatitis. Remarkable histologic changes of the pancreas cause only small changes in the anatomic arrangement of the arteries and arterioles, and slightly more changes in the acinar capillaries, which may explain the diagnostic difficulties associated with angiography of pancreatic disease.