[Wirsung's duct of the normal pancreas and chronic pancreatitis. A study by scanning and transmission electronmicroscopy (author's transl)].

There were 96 segments of the main pancreatic duct taken from 50 resected pancreasses studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (44 cases with chronic pancreatitis, 4 without alterated excretory parenchyma). While the surface of the normal Wirsung's duct was not uneven, in all cases of chronic pancreatitis various alterations of caliber and surface were seen. Changes of caliber are caused by either tapering or roundish vaults and wrinkles, changes of surface by smaller humps or recesses. The surface of the normal Wirsung's duct itself consisted of a homogenous layer of microvilli. In chronic pancreatits several changes of epithelium occurred: flattening with the loss of microvilli, highering and multilayering of the "Wirsungiocytes". By combining of the above-mentioned features, two different types of the main duct in chronic pancreatitis resulted. The importance of a smooth surface with a homogenous microvilli layer of the normal Wirsung's duct and the causes and consequences of changes of the normal Wirsung's duct and the causes and consequences of changes of caliber, surface, and epithelium in chronic pancreatitis are discussed.