Colostomy is a commom operative procedure. It is widely used in the treatment of colonic diseases, traumatic injuries and cancer. The main goal of this work was to demonstrate the progressive and adaptive changes in the proximal and distal colon after diverting terminal colostomy (Hartmann's colostomy). These alterations were studied through histologycal examination and the measuring of hydroxyproline content. Forty adult male Wistar rats, weighing 200 g were divided into two groups of 20 rats each (group I and II ). Each group was divided in another two sub-groups (A,B,C and D) with ten animals each. The rats of A and B sub-groups (group I) were submitted to a median laparotomy to perform Hartmann's colostomy in the distal colon. The animals of the control group were only submitted to a laparotomy. All animals were sacrified on the 30th and 60th postoperative days. Hystological examination demonstrated substantial atrophy of mucosal layer, deteriorations in both crypt size and number, and atrophy of all colonic layers. Other changes included acute and chronic inflammatory infiltrate in the lamina propria .These changes were more intense in distal segments of the animals submitted to Hartmann's colostomy (subgroups A and B) . Analysis of the colonic hydroxyproline content were normal in all groups. These findings demonstrated morphologic inflammatory and hypotrophic changes in distal colon after Hartmann's colostomy in rats.
Hartmann's Colostomy; Hydroxyproline; Rats
