A surgical model to increase the intestinal absorptive surface: intestinal lengthening and growing neomucosa in the same approach.

Despite numerous investigations short bowel syndrome (SBS) is still an unsolved clinical problem. The purpose of this study was to develop a new surgical approach that combines both intestinal lengthening and growing neomucosa. The operative principle is based on a longitudinal division of an intestinal segment antimesenterically and a formation of two intestinal tubes out of bowel halves anastomosing one cutting edge to the incised mucosal midline and the other to the antimesenteric side of the constructed first intestinal tube, so that a common wall between the two hemiloops was created which leads to grow neomucosa. This procedure was applied to 11 rabbits. The hemiloops and neomucosa were investigated for its feasibility and morphologic characteristics. Gross and microscopic examinations at 8 weeks revealed that all the intestinal tubes were viable and patent. No anastomotic leakage was present. In all animals, the serosal surfaces of the common walls were covered with neomucosa that resembles the mucosa of the existing intestine morphologically; there was no significant difference in villus height, villus width at base, crypt depth, number of villi per unit serosal length, villus surface, and villus surface per unit serosa. The growth of neomucosa was completely a result of epithelialization without any evidence of contraction. The quantity and rate of neomucosal growth seems unaffected by intestinal segment length. Finally a two times increase in intestinal length, whereas the diameter halved and a statistically significant increase (P < 0.001) in total villus surface via growing neomucosa was obtained. This model might be useful in the management of SBS when supported by clinical and functional investigations.