Two-stage Procedure for Total Pancreatectomy in the Rat

A method is described for pancreatectomizing rats in two stages. In the first, most of the gland is excised, including the difficult to remove pancreatic lobes along the bile duct. A small portion, sufficient to prevent the appearance of diabetes, is left near the spleen. In the second stage, performed several weeks later, the remaining pancreas is extirpated rapidly, with minimal surgical trauma and immediate onset of severe diabetes. The time course of the changes in the levels of blood glucose, plasma free fatty acids, acetoacetate and triglycerides within the first twenty-four hours after the operation was studied. The results show that this preparation is very suitable for studying the metabolic effects of acute insulin deprivation in the rat.