The poor selection of food, the management associated to the anatomic localization predispose the sheep to esophageal lesions which intefere in nutrition, productivity and survival. The scope of this experiment was to test the stemomastoid muscle efficiency to cover an esophageal wound, its capacity to offer adequade surface for epithelization and consequent cicatrization of 2x5cm excision of the esophageal wall. In this experiment, fifteen sheeps were divided in two groups and submitted to a remotion of an esophageal segment with 2x5cm.The esophageal wall deffect was covered by a stemomastoid muscle flap, which was fixed to the esophagus with poliamida line 0-20 with horizontal mattress suture. One group was controled during 90 days and the other during 150 days. At the end of these periods, the animais were euthanized, and the segment of the esophagus was coilected and evaluated by gross and microscopic examination. A discrete cicatricial reaction and epithelial regeneration was observed. The conclusion is that the muscle is efficient for closure of the esophageal wall deffect, leading to an epithelial regeneration. The cicatricial retraction observed was no clinical importance during the observed periods.
esophagus; muscular flap; cicatrization
