PATHO-HISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT DURING ARTIFICIAL PNEUMOPERITONEUM

Abstract

In the past, 3 reports on the clinical and experimental studies regarding the effect of artificial pneumoperitoneum on intestinal absorption were made and for this report, a patho-histological study of the gastrointestinal tract was undertaken. The purpose of this study was not only to explain the conditions governing absorption by the gastroin-testinal tract during artificial pneumoperitoneum, but because this author felt that it was a problem clinically requiring elucidation. For the experiment, 24 healthy, white, adult rabbits were selected and using 4 types of gas, viz., oxygen, carbon dioxide, air and nitrogen, normotensive and hypertensive pneumoperitoneum groups were established. After continuation of this method for 6 months (the hypertensive group with air was observed after 2.5 _??_ 5 months, the hyper-tensive group with nitrogen was observed after 2 months), the rabbits were autopsied and histological specimens were made of 9 parts, namely, the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, ascending colon, transverse colon, descending colon and rectum. The results for each of the series showed that similar findings were hypertrophy of the serous membrane, edema of the mucous membrane and circulatory disturbance and in the oxygen series hyperemia and congestion were observed to be mild in the normotensive group, but extremely severe in the hypertensive group. In the carbon dioxide series this tendency proved to be milder in comparison to the oxygen series. In the series using air, hyperemia, especially congestion was confirmed along the entire gastrointestinal tract and the degree of this finding was noted to be greater in the hypertensive group as compared to the normotensive group. Furthermore this phenomenon was noted to be more marked than that of the oxygen series. In the nitrogen series, almost no hyperemia or congestion was noted as in the above 3 series, but in addition, anemia and atrophy and degeneration of the mucous membrane was confirmed. This tendency proved to be greater in the hypertensive group rather than the normotensive group. As for hypertrophy of the glands, the degree was noted to be greater in the order of oxygen, carbon dioxide and air and in each series, it was higher with the normotensive group as compared to the hypertensive group. However, almost no glandular hypertrophy was noted in the nitrogen series.