[Morphology of the myenteric plexus of the small intestine in patients with liver cirrhosis].
BACKGROUND
Patients with liver cirrhosis develop small bowel dysmotility of unknown etiology. Morphological features in the enteric nervous system and the intestinal smooth muscle may shed light on pathophysiology of the gut motility disturbances in this disease.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the morphology of the myenteric plexuses and smooth muscle layers of the small intestine in patients with liver cirrhosis.


METHODS
Full thickness biopsies of duodenum, jejunum and ileum from seven cirrhotic patients and seven controls were stained with several techniques, including silver impregnation. Neuronal counting and light microscopy studies were stained performed.


RESULTS
The neuronal count was not significantly different in patients with cirrhosis compared to controls in duodenal samples (1.6 +/- 0.4 cel/mm vs 1.6 +/- 0.2 cel/mm), jejunal tissue (1.2 +/- 0.3 cel/mm vs 1.4 +/- 0.2 cel/mm), and in ileal specimens (0.8 +/- 0.3 cel/mm vs 0.9 +/- 0.2 cel/mm). In both groups, evidence of fibrosis or inflammation in myenteric plexuses and in smooth muscle was not found. Also, intestinal neuronal dysplasia was absent in cirrhotic patients as in controls.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that small bowel dysmotility in patients with liver cirrhosis is not related to structural changes in myenteric plexuses or in intestinal smooth muscle noted by light microscopy.
Chesta
J
J
Centro de Gastroenterología, Hospital Clínico, Universidad de Chile, Santiago de Chile.
Smok
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D006801:Humans; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000473:pathology*
Morfologia de los plexos mientericos del intestino delgado en pacientes con cirrosis hepática.