Adrenal Glands in Dogs with High Intestinal Obstruction

Abstract

In high intestinal obstruction in man, 1 in the dog, 2 and in the monkey 3 the essential changes in the blood chemistry are primarily a fall in blood chlorides; usually a rise in alkaline reserve and a rise in non-protein nitrogen. The fall in the blood chlorides is not always conditioned by loss of chloride through vomiting. 3 The group of conditions associated with hyperazotemia and hypochloremia 4 bear certain clinical and chemical similarities; loss of weight, asthenia, and marked prostration, decline in blood pressure, rapid pulse, shallow respiration, dehydration and anhydremia.

The mechanism of the nitrogen retention in these conditions is not well understood, but it would appear to be intimately related in a majority of instances to alterations of salt and water metabolism. 4 Both clinically and biochemically the syndrome of hypochloremia and hyperazotemia resembles adrenal insufficiency in Addison's disease.

The findings recorded were observed in studies to determine whether the adrenal glands are altered morphologically in the hypochloremic state of high intestinal obstruction as a representative type of this syndrome. The literature contains, to our knowledge, no reference to histologic studies of adrenal glands in high intestinal obstruction.∗

High intestinal obstruction was induced on a series of 12 dogs by sectioning the duodenum by cautery and closing the ends by inversion. No food was given for 24 hours before operation and none during the experiment. Water was allowed ad libitum.