Morphologic alterations and cytokinetic studies of tracheal autograft epithelium in rabbits.
BACKGROUND
Although tracheobronchoplasty has been used widely in the field of thoracic surgery, few details of the morphologic changes in and cytokinetics of the graft epithelium have been reported. The aim of this study was to focus on these aspects in autografted rabbit tracheas.


METHODS
Resected cervical tracheas were anastomosed immediately after removal, retrieved on postoperative days 1 through 28, and examined morphologically. Mitotic and bromodeoxyuridine-labeling indices of the graft epithelium were analyzed.


RESULTS
On postoperative days 1 to 4, the graft epithelium showed focal desquamation at the anastomoses. Ciliated cells disappeared during postoperative days 4 to 7 and then increased gradually. Nonciliated cells retained a somewhat columnar shape on postoperative days 4 to 7, except at denuded foci. Thereafter, the grafts were covered completely with pseudostratified mucociliary epithelium. On postoperative day 4, both indices were maximal and appeared higher at the anastomotic than midgraft sites.


CONCLUSIONS
Most of the graft epithelium was preserved during acute ischemia and then started to regenerate. The increased regenerative activity near the anastomoses may be attributable to mechanical damage or different nutritional conditions.
Inayama
Y
Y
Department of Pathology, Yokohama City University School of Medicine, Japan.
Tomiyama
I
I
Akaike
M
M
Kase
M
M
Nakayama
H
H
Morohoshi
T
T
Matsumoto
A
A
Kanisawa
M
M
D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000818:Animals; D004848:Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008940:Mitotic Index; D011817:Rabbits; D014132:Trachea / Q000473:pathology* / Q000637:transplantation*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous