title: Establishing a rabbit model of malignant esophagostenosis using the endoscopic implantation technique for studies on stent innovation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stents are recommended in patients with dysphagia caused by esophageal stricture, but an ideal stent does not currently exist. Thus, studies on new esophageal stents are necessary, and suitable animal models are desperately needed for these studies. The aim of this study was to establish a model of malignant esophageal stricture in rabbit for studies on stent innovation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 38 New Zealand white rabbits were used in this study. Using the endoscopic submucosal injection technique, VX2 fragments were inoculated into the submucosal layer of the rabbit thoracic esophagus, and an endoscopic follow-up was subsequently performed to observe the tumor development and progression. The self-expandable metal stents were randomly deployed in rabbits with severe esophageal stricture to investigate the safety and feasibility of the animal models for stenting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An endoscopic implantation procedure for VX2 tumors was completed in 34/38 rabbits, and tumor development was confirmed in 30/34 animals. The success rate of the endoscopic implantation and tumor development were 89.4% (95% CI, 79.6% to 99.2%) and 88.2% (95% CI, 76.9% to 99.5%) respectively. During the endoscopic follow-up period, severe esophageal stricture occurred in 22/30 rabbits with a rate of 73.3% (95% CI, 57.5% to 89.1%), and 12/22 models received stent placement. During and after stent implantation, no severe stent-related complication or mortality occurred in the animal models. The rabbits that received stent placement survived longer than those without stent implantation (the mean survival time: 53.9 days versus 40.3 days, P = 0.016).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The endoscopic method is a safe and effective method for establishing a malignant esophagostenosis model in rabbits. This model can simulate the human body environment for stent deployment and is an excellent tool for the study of stent innovation for the treatment of esophageal cancer.
authors: Jin
authors: J
authors: Huang
authors: Jinquan
authors: J
authors: Shuang
authors: Guanyin
authors: G
authors: Xiong
authors: Xiang
authors: X
authors: Wang
authors: Yin
authors: Y
authors: Zhang
authors: Xiaowei
authors: X
authors: Tang
authors: Digestive Medical Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, No 121 Jiang Jiayuan, Xiaguan District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210011, China. fanzhining5834@hotmail.com.
authors: Zhining
authors: Z
authors: Fan
authors: Yingzhou
authors: Y
authors: Shen
authors: Hanming
authors: H
authors: Song
authors: Zhi
authors: Z
authors: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004724:Endoscopy; D004940:Esophageal Stenosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004947:Esophagus / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D011817:Rabbits; D015607:Stents