Synchronous ileal autotransplantation impairs adaptation of remaining gut in pigs with proximal small bowel resection.

This study investigates the effects of ileal autotransplantation on morphology, crypt cell proliferation, and brush border disaccharidases of the remaining jejunoileum and colon in growing pigs with 75% proximal small bowel resection. Resection was performed on 30 pigs, of which 15 underwent an autotransplantation of the remaining ileum. The autotransplanted pigs showed reduced weight gain and remnant ileal length when compared to the resected controls. In the autotransplanted pigs, small bowel diameter and weight, mucosal weight and protein content, villus height and surface area, crypt depth, and the number of proliferating crypt cells were reduced similarly both in the intact jejunum and in the autotransplanted ileal remnant. Autotransplantation also decreased the number of proliferative crypt cells of the colon. Specific activities of maltase and sucrase tended to increase in the autotransplanted ileal remnant, whereas the total enzyme activities decreased. These results suggest that ileal autotransplantation disturbs postresectional adaptation of the remaining gut.