BACKGROUND: The gastrointestinal disorders have been associated with morphological alterations in the myenteric nervous plexus. AIM: To evaluate, through morphometric studies, the chronic effects of the subdiaphragmatic trunk vagotomy on the nervous plexus. METHODS: Fifteen male exemplars of Wistar Rattus novergicus weighing about 150g, distributed into three groups, have been used: control (n=5), Sham (n=5) and vagotomized (n=5). The animals were sacrificed after 30 and 90 days post surgery. Fragments of duodenum were fixed in Bouin solution, embedded into paraffin and stained with HE and PAS. Morphometric analysis was performed by a Carl Zeiss KM 450 image system. The following aspects were observed: the density of nervous cells per linear micrometer (µm) (ND); the area of perikarya (µm²) (NA); the number of satellite cells per µm (SCD); and the number of satellite cells per neuron (SC/N). The averages were compared with the help of "software" program Sigma Plus through two way - ANOVA and Tuckey post-test. RESULTS: Denervation increased SC/N (p<0,05) and NA (p<0,05), in a time-dependent denervation way (p<0,05). However ND and SCD, decreased, which significantly with the animal's age (p<0,001). CONCLUSION: Vagotomy altered the myenteric plexus morphology in a time-dependent way.
Autonomic denervation; Auerbach's nervous plexus; Morphology