Creation of a caecostoma in mice as a model of an enterocutaneous fistula

In the past, physiological, oncological and pharmaceutical investigations l ed to the development of different models of enterocutaneous fistulas. For a few years, fistula models were also created to investigate the efficacy o f minimal invasive therapies in closing these fistulas. As most experimenta l surgical procedures are difficult to perform and are often combined with a high mortality or spontaneous closure rate, a new model in mice was devel oped with the aim of avoiding these disadvantages. Twenty mice, divided int o two groups of 10 animals each, had a caecostoma created surgically. The t wo groups differed regarding the technique of creating the stoma. All anima ls survived and gained weight during a postoperative period of 4 months. Th e operation was easy to perform and lasted no longer than about 30 min. Nei ther a spontaneous closure of the fistula nor any prior death of animals oc curred. In conclusion, because of its simplicity and low complication rate, the presented model of an enterocutaneous fistula may offer an interesting alternative to other models for a variety of indications.