Bodyweight, not age, determines oesophageal length and breaking strength in rats
Christina Oetzmann von Sochaczewski1, Evangelos Tagkalos2, Andreas Lindner1
1Department of Paediatric Surgery, Universitätsmedizin Mainz der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Langenbeckstraße 1, D-55131 Mainz, Germany.
Insights
In rodents, only bodyweight, not age, influences esophageal length and tissue resilience. This finding is crucial for determining the optimal timing for surgical repair in cases of long-gap esophageal atresia.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Surgical Research
- Pediatric Surgery
Background:
- Delayed primary repair is a common approach for long-gap esophageal atresia.
- The optimal timing for surgical anastomosis remains debated, with factors like infant age and bodyweight considered.
- Current practices vary regarding whether age or bodyweight is prioritized for surgical timing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between age, bodyweight, and esophageal length in a rodent model.
- To determine whether age or bodyweight is a more significant predictor of esophageal growth and tissue resilience.
- To provide evidence-based insights for optimizing surgical timing in esophageal atresia repair.
Main Methods:
- Explantation of 20 Sprague-Dawley rat esophagi across a range of ages (15-444 days).
- Measurement of bodyweight, esophageal length, weight, and linear breaking strength to assess tissue resilience.
- Application of univariate and multivariate regression analyses to evaluate the influence of age and bodyweight.
Main Results:
- Both age and bodyweight were significant univariate predictors of esophageal length, weight, and breaking strength (p < 0.0001).
- Multivariate analysis revealed bodyweight as the significant predictor for esophageal length (p < 0.0001) and breaking strength (p = 0.0007).
- Age was not a significant predictor in multivariate analyses (p = 0.18 for length, p = 0.97 for breaking strength), with its influence deemed negligible.
Conclusions:
- Esophageal length and tissue resilience in rodents are determined solely by bodyweight, independent of age.
- These findings suggest that bodyweight may be a more reliable indicator than age for surgical timing in esophageal repair.
- If applicable to humans, this research could refine the optimal timing for delayed primary anastomosis in esophageal atresia.
Background/Purpose:
Delayed primary repair is still the method of choice in the management of long-gap oesophageal atresia in many centres, but the timing of anastomoses varies. Some assume the infant's bodyweight to be an important factor, whereas others prefer age. We therefore aimed to clarify whether age or bodyweight determined oesophageal length in a rodent model.
Methods:
We explanted the oesophagi of 20 Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 15 to 444 days (n = two per time point), measured bodyweight, oesophageal length, weight, and linear breaking strength to measure tissue resilience. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to determine the influence of age and bodyweight on oesophageal length and linear breaking strength.
Results:
All parameters were highly correlated (R > 0.8), except for age and linear breaking strength (R = 0.65). Both age and bodyweight were univariate significant predictors of oesophageal length, weight, and linear breaking strength (p < 0.0001). Multivariate analyses showed bodyweight to be a significant predictor of oesophageal length (p < 0.0001), whereas age was not (p = 0.18) [adjusted R2 = 0.9031]. This was also true for linear breaking strength (p = 0.0007 and p = 0.97, respectively) [adjusted R2 = 0.71]. Moreover, the influence of age was negligible, as the adjusted R2 and the regression coefficient of bodyweight and its 95% confidence interval were almost identical between univariate und multinomial regressions.
Conclusions:
Only weight determines oesophageal length and tissue resilience in rodents, whereas age is irrelevant. If a similar relationship exists in humans, it may facilitate choosing the optimum time point for delayed primary anastomosis.
Level Of Evidence:
IV - Experimental Paper.
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