Effect of vagotomy on the afferent innervation of cat pancreas

The afferent innervation of the pancreas was studied with Holme's silver technique in normal and vagotomized cats 24, 48 and 72 hours after sectioning the vagus. Pacinian corpuscles were found in the interlobular and periductal connective tissue. After right vagotomy, degenerative changes were noticed among some of the nerve fibres entering the formation of the perivascular, periacinar, peri-insular and periductal plexuses. Moreover, degenerative changes were noticed in most of the Pacinian corpuscles while others remained unaffected, thus denoting that the right vagus was not the only pathway of the afferent nerve fibres from the pancreas and probably the left vagus contributed in that domain.