Experimental replacement of the cervical esophagus in rats with a jejunal free transplantation

Hypopharynx and cervical-esophageal reconstruction after malignant-lesion removal has been a challenging problem for head and neck surgeons. The reconstructive technique has been developed over the years through several ingenious methods of replacement. As a result of recent refinements in microvascular anastomosis techniques, many studies concerning one-stage, immediate cervical-esophagus reconstruction have been reported. An experimental study on esophageal reconstruction has been developed using a free intestinal transplantation in two distinct strains of rats. One of the groups consisted of a heterogeneous population of Wistar rats and the other an inbred Lewis strain. In our study the Wistar group reacted as in allograft transplantations and developed an immunological rejection process. The Lewis strain reacted according to isogenic transplantations. The surviving rats were killed and microscopical studies of the reconstructed esophagus were performed. This study is a low-cost, practical experimental model to achieve a better knowledge of the behavior of the transplanted organs.