Experimental acute pancreatitis in the rat--a new model.

A new experimental model of acute pancreatitis in the rat has been devised. It consists of a closed duodenal loop into which infected bile is injected under pressure; intestinal continuity is maintained by a plastic tube passed through the loop. Histological and biochemical evidence of acute pancreatitis in the rat model is presented. The model has been compared with that of Nevalainen and with control groups of rats undergoing bile duct ligation and sham operation. The model produces a consistently fatal acute pancreatitis, more severe than that produced by Nevalainen's model, with a survival time fo 28+/-12.8 (SD) hours. A combination of the reflux of infected bile under increased pressure into the pancreatic duct, at a known time, produces a model which may be suitable for the investigation of therapeutic agents.