Histopathologic changes during mesenteric ischaemia and reperfusion

The basic electrical rhythm (BER) of the intestine is known to decrease during mesenteric ischaemia. Some studies have reported the relationship between the BER and the pathologic changes that occur in the bowel during vascular injury. However, these changes have not been completely elucidated. This study describes the histopathologic pattern when the rabbit small intestine was subjected to ischaemia of varying time lengths (30-150 minutes) and subsequent reperfusion for six hours. Intestinal biopsies were taken at baseline, at the end of ischaemia, and at hourly intervals during reperfusion. Microscopic examination of the biopsies revealed evidence of progressive infarction of the mucosa during ischaemia. There was an acute worsening of the pathology during reperfusion, the severity being greater when reperfusion was preceded by longer periods of ischaemia. These changes were statistically significant. The observed pattern in this study shows clearly that reperfusion injury is reflected in the histopathologic response and that this is worse in severity than the response to ischaemia. Studies of longer duration should further clarify the picture during recovery in ischaemia/reperfusion injuries of the bowel.