title: Role of ganglion cells in sigmoid volvulus.
abstract: The aim of this study was to clarify the role of ganglion cells in the development and recurrence of sigmoid volvulus. We analyzed 9 samples obtained from 9 patients who had undergone sigmoidectomy for sigmoid volvulus, and, for comparison, 18 samples from 18 patients who had undergone sigmoidectomy or low anterior resection for rectal cancer. Neuron-specific enolase was used for immunohistochemical staining to detect ganglion cells, and the number of ganglion cells in 20 contiguous fields was counted at 200? magnification. The average number of ganglion cells per 1000 cm(3) was corrected using the ratio of the circumference of the resected sigmoid colon to the average circumference in the control group. The raw numbers of ganglion cells in the Meissner's and Auerbach's plexuses in the volvulus group were significantly lower than those in the non-volvulus group (Meissner: p = 0.017, Auerbach: p = 0.007). The circumference of the resected sigmoid colons with volvulus was greater than that of those without volvulus (p = 0.00013). There was no significant difference in the corrected numbers of ganglion cells in the Meissner's plexus or Auerbach's plexus per 1000 cm(3) between the volvulus and non-volvulus groups (Meissner: p = 0.410, Auerbach: p = 0.890).Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the corrected numbers of ganglion cells between the revolvulus and non-revolvulus groups. These findings led us to conclude that functional disorder of bowel movement or elongation of the bowel in sigmoid volvulus or revolvulus is not related to the number of ganglion cells in Auerbach's or Meissner's plexus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Ichihara Hospital, 3426-3 Anesaki, Ichihara, Chiba 299-0111, Japan. Yasuhra@med.teikyo-ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yasuhara
authors.forename: Hironobu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yanagie
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naka
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takenoue
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shinkawa
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niwa
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Toshitaka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005724:Ganglia / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D045822:Intestinal Volvulus / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009197:Myenteric Plexus / Q000473:pathology*; D012810:Sigmoid Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D013368:Submucous Plexus / Q000473:pathology*