Summary
The presence or absence of postoperative reflux esophagitis in the rat at 1 month is dependent upon the type of anastomosis performed in the gastrointestinal tract. All rats with esophagojejunostomy and reflux of alkaline duodenal and acid gastric secretions had esophagitis, as did all rats with esophagojejunostomy and total gastrectomy. When the esophagus was implanted in the prepyloric portion of the glandular stomach so that gastric secretions refluxed into the esophagus, esophagitis did not develop in any of the animals. When esophagojejunostomy with a duodenojejunal anastomosis was performed so that the pancreaticobiliary secretions emptied into the efferent loop of the jejunum, none of the rats had esophagitis. When esophagojejunostomy with total gastrectomy and duodenojejunal anastomosis was performed so that the pancreaticobiliary secretions were diverted into the jejunum distal to the esophagojejunostomy, none of the animals had esophagitis. When esophagojejunostomy with high ligation of the biliary duct was performed, only 6 of 10 animals had a mild esophagitis.
Conclusion
In the rat, reflux esophagitis develops when duodenal contents reflux into the esophagus. The pancreaticobiliary secretion is the injurious factor, pancreatic juice being less important than bile. Acid secretion does not produce esophagitis under the conditions of the experiment described.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Balfour, D. C, Higgins, G. M., andWoods, K. A. A factor in neutralized human gastric juice which prolongs survival of gastrectomized rats.Proc. Staff. Meet., Mayo Clin. 25:434, 1950.
Bonfils, S., Rossi, G., andLambling, A. Etude de la sécrétion gastrique du rat par fistule duodénale.Rev. Françc. Etudes Clin. et Biol. 3:997, 1958.
Bussabarger, R. A., andJung, F. T. Dietary and hematologic studies after gastrectomy in the rat.Am. J. Physiol. 117:59, 1936.
Cross, F. S., andWangensteen, O. H. Role of bile and pancreatic juice in production of esophageal erosions and anemia.Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol. & Med. 77:862, 1951.
Griffith, J. Q., andFarris, E. J. “Surgery of the gastrointestinal tract of the rat,” inThe Rat in Laboratory Investigation. Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1942, pp. 166–176.
Helsingen, N. Oesophagitis following total gastrectomy in rats.Acta Chirurg. scandinav. 113:532, 1957.
Helsingen, N. Oesophageal lesions following total gastrectomy in rats. I. Development and nature.Acta Chirurg. scandinav. 118:202, 1960.
Helsingen, N. Oesophagitis following total gastrectomy in rats. II. Development of oesophagitis in relation to type of reconstruction.Acta Chirurg. scandinav. 119:230, 1960.
Jung, F. T., andJones, K. K. Gastrectomy in the rat.Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol. & Med. 29:902, 1931–1932.
Lodge, K. V. Experimental oesophagitis in rats.Brit. J. Exper. Path. 36:155, 1955.
Morris, H. P., andLippincott, S. W. Production of gastric lesions in rats by fasting, partial inanition and deficiency of certain dietary constituents.J. Nat. Cancer Inst. II:459, 1941–1942.
Redo, S. F., andBarnes, W. A. Experimental studies on ulcer formation in antiperistaltic segments of small intestine anastomosed to the esophagus.Surgery 40:197, 1956.
Redo, S. F., Barnes, W. A., andSierra, A. O. Perfusion of the canine esophagus with secretions of the upper gastrointestinal tract.Ann. Surg. 149:557, 1959.
Watson, G. M., andFlorey, H. W. The absorption of vitamin B12 in gastrectomized rats.Brit. J. Exper. Path. 36:479, 1955.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
(Laboratory supported by the C.N.R.S.)
The results of the investigations described in this article were presented Nov. 11, 1960, at the Societé Nationale Francaise de Gastroenterologie in Paris.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Levrat, M., Lambert, R. & Kirshbaum, G. Esophagitis produced by reflux of duodenal contents in rats. Digest Dis Sci 7, 564–573 (1962). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02236137
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02236137