MICRORADIOGRAPHIC ANATOMY OF THE EXPLANTED RAT COLON

The colon of 32 healthy Sprague-Dawley rats was studied microradiograp hicallp. The colonic arterial distribution of 18 rats was examined aft er injecting barium sulfate into the isolated aorta. The mucosal surfa ce in 9 rats was studied using double-contrast technique after colon e xplantation. In 5 animals arterial and mucosal studies were carried ou t simultaneously. The radiographic thickness of the colonic wall was m easured using a comparative microscope. The specimens were observed, p hotographed and examined histologically. Unlike the cecum and distal c olon 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. Comparis on between arterial and mucosal microradiographic anatomy and wall thi ckness enables the proposition of a simple nontopographic division of the rat colon into cecum, proximal colon and distal colon.