Refinement of canine pancreatitis model: inducing pancreatitis by using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography

Abstract

The causes and treatments of pancreatitis have been studied in diverse species, but the canine pancreatitis model has been used most often due to its similarities to the condition in humans. Although pancreatitis in dogs can be induced readily by numerous methods, managing these dogs can be difficult because they often develop severe abdominal pain, vomiting, inappetance, and lethargy. In an effort to study pancreatitis, we performed a pilot study to determine whether an endoscopic pancreatic procedure would be possible in a dog and whether, through various manipulations, a new method of inducing pancreatitis could be developed. The model uses endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a common procedure in human gastroenterology that has been associated with postprocedural pancreatitis. Although all 8 dogs used in developing the ERCP model had both biochemical and histologic changes consistent with pancreatitis, 7 of the 8 dogs remained free of classic clinical signs of the disease. This method is presented as a refinement of a canine model and presents an alternative method of inducing pancreatitis, with decreased risk of developing associated clinical signs.

Figure 1.

ERCP showing pancreatic acinarization. Fluoroscopic image demonstrating placement of the endoscope (thick arrow) and sphincterotome (thin arrow) and acinarization (star) of the pancreatic parenchyma.

Figure 2.

Histologic analysis of control dogs and 2 study dogs. (A, D) Pancreas of control dog 3, showing normal lobular architecture with tightly associated acinar cells. (B, E) Representative sections of pancreas from dog 1, showing mild leukocytic infiltration and acinar cell atrophy (arrows). (C, F) Representative sections of pancreas from dog 4, showing inter- and intralobular edema (narrow arrow) and marked acute inflammation (large arrow). Hematoxylin and eosin stain. Scale bar, 100 µm (A through C); 25 µm (D through F).

Figure 3.

Baseline and peak amylase levels of each dog.

Figure 4.

Baseline and peak lipase levels of each dog.