The effect of intestinal plication on intestinal transit time in rats.

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) can occur after extensive intestinal resections. In SBS, the aim of surgical techniques is to prolong intestinal transit time (ITT) and to increase the absorptive surface. This experimental study was conducted to research the effect of extramucosal intestinal plication on ITT in rats. Thirty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups. In the control group, barium solution was administrated by gavage. Forty-five minutes later, the rats were sacrificed, and the total length of their small bowels (SBs) and the distance of the barium in the SBs were measured. The ratio of the distance of the barium to the length of the SB was calculated, and the ITT was found for normal rats. Intestinal plication (made with three seromuscular sutures at the same level: one on the antimesenteric side, and two on the lateral sides of the bowel) and laparotomy and bowel manipulation were carried out in the study and sham groups, respectively, and ITT was measured by the same method after 1 week. A one-way ANOVA test was used to compare the groups in terms of body weight, total length of the SB, distance of the barium in the SB, and the ratio of this distance to the length of the SB. The rats were statistically homogeneous in terms of body weight and total length of the SB ( p>0.05). The distances of the barium in the small bowel in the control, sham, and study groups were 73.4+/-8.5 cm, 77.5+/-6.8 cm, and 56.3+/-3.6 cm, respectively. The distances of barium in the SB in the study group were statistically shorter than in the other groups ( p<0.05). The ratios of the distance of the barium to the length of the SB in the control, sham, and study groups were 65.8+/-7.3, 66.4+/-4.5, and 49.9+/-3.8, respectively. In the study group, this ratio was also statistically lower than in the other groups ( p<0.05). Extramucosal intestinal plication retarded ITT significantly in the study group compared with the other groups. This technique does not entail any risk of morbidity and mortality; therefore, it can be used in the treatment of SBS.