title: Microradiographic anatomy of the explanted rat colon.
abstract: The colon of 32 healthy Sprague-Dawley rats was studied microradiographically. The colonic arterial distribution of 18 rats was examined after injecting barium sulfate into the isolated aorta. The mucosal surface in 9 rats was studied using double-contrast technique after colon explantation. In 5 animals arterial and mucosal studies were carried out simultaneously. The radiographic thickness of the colonic wall was measured using a comparative microscope. The specimens were observed, photographed and examined histologically. Unlike the cecum and distal colon which, when insufflated, do not have mucosal folds, the proximal colon exhibits folds in an oblique direction corresponding to that of the arteries, and the colonic wall in this region is thicker. Comparison between arterial and mucosal microradiographic anatomy and wall thickness enables the proposition of a simple nontopographic division of the rat colon into cecum, proximal colon and distal colon.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Radiology, Padua University, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pomerri
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gasparini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fries
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pagiaro
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merigliano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D001466:Barium Sulfate; D002432:Cecum / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003106:Colon / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008852:Microradiography; D011029:Pneumoradiography; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D001466:Barium Sulfate