Pathology of the pancreas after intraductal neoprene injection in dogs and diabetic patients treated by pancreatic transplantation.

The injection of neoprene into the pancreatic ducts of dogs has been used to destroy exocrine function prior to pancreatic transplantation. The subsequent histological changes and the evolution of lesions over a period of 3-36 months are described. Animals were sacrificed or biopsied at various intervals (3, 15 and 36 months) and the pancreases showed the disappearance of exocrine acini and changes of chronic pancreatitis. An immunoperoxidase procedure with insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide antisera was used to show the persistence of pancreatic endocrine cells. After the injections, sclerosis progressively increased and secondary lesions of the islets were seen, although functional islets persisted. This technique was then applied to pancreas transplantation in man. Eight transplants from seven diabetic patients were available for examination. In four cases, there were early technical failures, but four pancreatic transplants continued to function for 28-889 days until suppuration destroyed one of the grafts and the three other patients died. The persistence of endocrine cells in sclerotic tissue was observed in histological and immunopathological examinations.