[Studies on interdigestive intestinal motility of the orthotopic allotransplanted canine small bowel]

We evaluated interdigestive motor patterns in the allotransplanted small bowel, in comparison with orthotropic allotransplanted canine jejunoileum and orthotropicaly autotransplanted canine jejunoileum or intact ones by using strain gage force transducers which were sewn to the serosal surfaces of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum. Interdigestive intestinal motility of each conscious dogs was recorded at 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks after each operation. 1. No significant differences were recognized on the mean durations of Interdigestive migrating contractions (IMC) of the duodenum among three groups. 2. Interdigestive migrating contractions (IMC) appeared at the autotransplanted jejunoileum with shorter duration than duodenum, and lacked of coordination between the intact duodenum and the transplanted jejunoileum for at least 8 weeks after the operation. 3. IMC also appeared at the allotransplanted jejunoileum with shorter duration than duodenum and lacked of coordination between the intact duodenum and the transplanted jejunoileum for at least 8 weeks after the operation. These characteristic motor patterns were similar to those of autotransplanted dogs. These observations suggest that intrinsic nervous system, believed to be important for initiation of the IMC of small bowel, were preserved even in the allotransplanted small bowel. Thereafter, effective immunosuppression must allow small bowel allotransplantation to become clinical reality.