PURPOSE: Study of porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS) efficiency as a graft in the handling of lesions of the cervical esophagus in dogs. METHODS: Ten dogs were operated. A resection of a portion of the anterior wall of the esophagus was performed, followed by its repair with a SIS graft. The tensiometric resistance, macroscopic appearance regeneration process and collagen contents of the esophagus tissue were evaluated. RESULTS: No cases of fistula, stenosis or infection occured. Tensiometric evaluation showed a similar resistance in the operated esophagus when compared to the control (an average of 31.84N against 28.60N). Macroscopic analysis revealed complete healing with little tissue retraction. Pathology HE study showed complete mucous membrane regeneration, discrete to moderate vascular proliferation and intense fibroblastic proliferation. Collagen analysis by Sirus-red staining found 54.04% of mature collagen, 16,04% of imature collagen as well as 71.58% of total collagen. Conclusion: SIS has proved to be an efficient graft when used in the repairing of canine large esophagus lesions, featuring infection and rejection resistance. Complete regeneration was observed in 100% of the cases. SIS should, therefore, be considered as an important option in treatment of esophageal injuries.
Injuries; Esophagus; Submucosa; Experimental surgery
