[Diseases of the biliary tract and pancreas in the aged--results obtained by investigation of the autopsy cases].

Gross and histological examination of the autopsy cases in the aged revealed that: 1. Acute interstitial pancreatitis, which was characterized by rupture of the ducts and ductules associated with profuse intraluminal exudation of polymorphonuclear leucocytes and protein plugs formation, was found in nine cases (0.62%) out of 1457 autopsies. There was scarce parenchymal or fat necrosis which might be caused by impaired secretion by atrophic parenchyma. The interstitial type may represent characteristics of acute pancreatitis in the aged. 2. Pancreatic lithiasis was found in six of 85 cases, or 7.1%. 3. Sites of isolated islets of Langerhans were found in an incidence of 26.5% (53/200), which increased with age. 4. Incidence of endocrine tumors was 10% (6/60) in individuals having histological studies of all sections and 1.6% (12/738) in individuals having histological studies of three random sections of the pancreas. The facts that multiple hormone production was found in as much as 70% and glucagon cells in as much as 85% were characteristics. 5. The atypical epithelia were observed with the highest incidence in the common pancreaticobiliary channel of the papilla of Vater, where carcinoma may arise most frequently. 6. The incidence of cystic lesions increased with age. Small cystic lesions appear to have the potential to progress to malignancy. 7. it may be possible to remove the head of the pancreas while preserving of the vascular arcades and their branches to the duodenum, the bile duct and the papilla of Vater. The artery toward the papilla of Vater is very important for the blood supply of both the papilla and second portion of the duodenum, and should be preserved in duodenum-preserving subtotal resection of the head of the pancreas. Gallbladder carcinoma was found in 94 cases, or 2.1% and gallbladder stone was found in 957 cases, or 21.4% among 4482 cases. Incidence of gallbladder carcinoma was six times higher in the cases with cholecystolithiasis than those without stone.