POSTMORTEM PANCREATIC ANGIOGRAPHY IN 45 SUBJECTS WITH NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS AND 51 CONTROLS

We evaluated, from 96 postmortem angiographs, the main feeding arterie s and degree of vascularity of the pancreas to discover to what extent atherosclerosis affects pancreatic blood supply in subjects with and without non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Patients with NIDDM more often showed intrapancreatic arteries with irregularities in the body-tail of the pancreas (p = 0.050) and more frequently demon strated decreased vascularity in both the body-tail and the head of th e pancreas (p < 0.001) than did the controls. When the arterial system from the aorta to the intrapancreatic branches was examined as a whol e, 26 (58%) of the NIDDM patients and 10 (20%) of the controls (p = 0. 0001) showed one or more of the following: >50% stenosis in the celiac or splenic artery, two or more irregular intrapancreatic branches, or a distinctly decreased degree of vascularity in the body-tail portion of the pancreas, the region responsible for most insulin secretion. O nly 1 NIDDM patient, compared to 10 controls, showed a totally normal angiogram. In conclusion, vascular disease in the feeding arteries of the pancreas is more common in NIDDM patients than age-and gender-matc hed controls.