[Development of small intestinal neomucosa]

Under certain conditions epithelium grows on the peritoneal surface. By folding the colon of the rat the authors constructed a seromuscular tunnel of which the two ends were sutured to the transsected ileum, making normal small bowel passage possible. 6-12 weeks after the operation a pouch was found on which a one-layer cylindric epithelium had developed showing evidence of disaccharidase activity. Clinically the model could be used to enlarge the mucosal surface of the remaining small bowel following extensive resection.