[Total splenopancreatectomy in the rat]

Techniques previously described for the performance of total splenopancreatectomy in the rat have consisted of freeing of pancreatic lobules from their vascular and biliary attachments. A new procedure is described for total pancreatectomy in which block excision is made of the spleen, the pancreas and the intrapancreatic common bile duct. The latter is then reimplanted into the duodenum by intubation as described during liver transplants. This operation was performed in 12 rats and appeared to be technically simpler to conduct than other procedures. It avoids leaving some pancreatic lobules in place, particularly those lying along the common bile duct, and induced a severe diabetes in all the animals.