Regional pancreatic perfusion. An experimental study in the dog

Blood flow and perfusion in the canine pancreas have been measured in many experimental models but little attention has been directed to perfusion in different regions of the gland. In some preparations "accessory" vessels have been ligated to allow measurement of flow through one vessel and the effect on perfusion of ligating these vessels is unclear. This study has measured pancreatic blood flow by the electromagnetic flow technique and regional perfusion by the clearance of Krypton-85 (85Kr) in three preparations of the pancreas. Results demonstrate no difference in perfusion between different regions if all vessels are intact. However, following accessory vessel ligation, the tail and part of the body of the gland become macroscopically ischaemic and perfusion in the uncinate process is reduced. This problem was overcome when the head of the gland was isolated as the measurements of both arterial blood flow and perfusion were almost identical; it is therefore the preferred preparation of the gland for measuring blood flow and perfusion.