Reduction of gastrointestinal motility by unilateral thyroparathyroidectomy plus subdiaphragmatic vagotomy in rats

AIM: To investigate whether the combined methods of unilateral thyroparathyroidectomy (TPX) and subdiaphragmatic vagotomy (VAX) can be adapted for rats and used as a reliable method to produce a rat model of long-term reduction of gastrointestinal (GI) motor function. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, normal, sham-operated and unilateral TPX plus VAX. The TPX plus VAX rats received VAX 7 d after application of TPX, and dietary intake and fecal output were then measured daily for 1 wk.After completion of the experiments, gastric emptying and small bowel transit were measured in vivo, and the contractile responses of colonic strips to excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters were estimated using isometric force transducers in vitro. RESULTS: In comparison with normal and sham-operated rats, rats which received unilateral TPX plus VAX showed a significant decrease in body weight and in fecal pellet number and weight throughout the entire week. Application of TPX plus VAX to rats markedly delayed gastric emptying and small bowel transit. In TPX plus VAX rats, the longitudinal muscles of the proximal colon showed a significant reduction in contractile responses to acetylcholine (5 × 10-6 mol/L), and a dramatic attenuation of contractile responses was also observed in both the longitudinal and circular muscles of the distal colon. However, the spontaneous contractility of the colonic strips from TPX plus VAX rats was not significantly affected by treatment with N-nitro-Larginine-methyl ester (0.1 mol/L). CONCLUSION: The results indicate that unilateral TPX plus VAX reduced the motor function of the GI tract in rats, and the reduced gut motility is likely mediated, at least in part, by inhibition of the excitatory neurotransmitter system.

Retroperitoneal tumor finally diagnosed as a bronchogenic cyst:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Retroperitoneal bronchogenic cyst(RBC)is an extremely rare developmental abnormality.Most are benign tumors but malignant transformation is possible.Because of their anatomical position,RBCs are easily misdiagnosed as adrenal or pancreatic solid tumors on radiological evaluation.Here,we report a case of RBC,review the literature,and summarize some important features.CASE SUMMARY A 49-year-old woman was incidentally found to have a retroperitoneal tumor during a physical examination.Enhanced computed tomography and laboratory evaluations,including routine blood examination,blood biochemistry,24-h urine 17 ketones,17 hydroxyls,adrenocortical hormone,serum potassium concentration,serum amylase,lipase,and epithelial tumor markers,revealed a moderate density,54 mm×40 mm mass with a clear boundary near the left adrenal gland.The were no abnormalities in the blood and urine values.Because the patient had a history of hypertension and the location of the mass was adjacent to the adrenal gland,it was initially diagnosed as a left adrenal tumor and was resected by retroperitoneal laparoscopy.However,the pathological examination after surgery confirmed it to be a bronchogenic cyst.CONCLUSION Retroperitoneal laparoscopic surgery can be prioritized for symptomatic RBC patients.Conservative treatment is feasible for selected patients.