Impaired glucose-induced glucagon suppression after partial ...

Materials and methods
Study design
A total of 36 patients undergoing pancreatic surgery for chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic
carcinoma, and benign pancreatic tumours were studied. All patients were examined before
and after pancreatic surgery with a 240 min oral glucose challenge, and the respective changes
in the plasma concentration profiles of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, and glucagon were
determined. Parts of this study related to the changes in glucose, insulin and C-peptide levels
after partial pancreatectomy have been communicated in a separate report (18). The study
protocol was approved by the ethics committee of the Ruhr-University Bochum (registration
number 2528). All patients provided written informed consent prior to study enrolment.
Patients:
A total of 36 patients (18 males, 18 females) undergoing pancreatic resections in the
Department of Surgery, St. Josef-Hospital, Ruhr-University Bochum, between the years 2004
and 2007 were included. One patient from the original cohort (18) was excluded, because
glucagon measurements were not available. The mean age of the patients was 59.4 ± 13.0
years, and the body mass index was 23.9 ± 4.2 kg/m 2 . Detailed patient characteristics have
previously been reported (18). 14 patients were undergoing surgery for chronic pancreatitis,
nine patients were treated for pancreatic adenocarcinoma, 12 patients underwent surgery for
the removal of benign pancreatic adenomas, and one patient was undergoing surgery for
because of a tumour of the papilla Vateri.
In 12 patients, distal pancreatectomies (pancreas tail resection) were performed, whereas
24 patients were treated with a proximal pancreatectomy (pancreas head resection). The latter
group comprised 17 patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy with pylorus preservation,
6 patients undergoing duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resections according to Beger,
and one patient undergoing classic partial pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple’s operation).
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