BACKGROUND: There is no ideal therapeutic option for schistosomal portal hypertension because none eliminates the possibility of rebleeding, cause of the death in many patients. The aim of this study was to develop a hamster experimental model of esophageal varices' formation in schistosomal portal hypertension, to better study this disease. METHODS: Fifty-five healthy Sirius Gold's hamsters weighting 90 to 120 g were divided in two groups: group I - 50 animals infected with percutaneous injection of 100 B.H. cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni; and group II - 5 healthy animals (control group). The incubation period was eight weeks. After this period, the animals were weighed and later we surgically evaluated the portal pressure, macroscopic and microscopic aspects of the spleen, liver, thoracic and abdominal esophagus. RESULTS: All animals of group I lost weight, while animals of group II presented an increase of the corporal weight during the incubation period. Twenty and six (52%) animals of group I died. The 24 hamsters remained in group I had a significantly increase in portal pressure when compared with controls (8,33 vs. 4,60 cmH2O, respectively). We observed formation of esophageal varices in 16 hamsters of group I (66,7%) and these animals had increased portal pressure when compared with the other 8 animals in this group I that had not developed varices (9,5 vs. 6,0 cmH2O, respectively). CONCLUSION: It is possible to develop in hamsters an experimental model of acute schistosomal portal hypertension with formation of esophageal varices.
Mansoni schistosomiasis; Esophageal and gastric varices; Models, animal
