The vagus and recurrent laryngeal nerves in the rodent experimental model of esophageal atresia

• Published in: Journal of pediatric surgery Vol. 32; no. 11; pp. 1580 - 1586
• Main Authors: Qi, Bao Quan, Merei, Jamal, Farmer, Pam, Hasthorpe, Suzanne, Myers, Nate A, Beasley, Spencer W, Hutson, John M
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Elsevier Inc 01.11.1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Disease Models, Animal; Embryonic and Fetal Development; Esophageal Atresia - pathology; Esophageal Atresia - surgery; Esophageal Motility Disorders - etiology; Esophagus; Esophagus - innervation; Female; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Medical sciences; Other diseases. Semiology; Pregnancy; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve - abnormalities; Vagus Nerve - abnormalities; Esophageal atresia; vagus nerve; fetal rat; recurrent laryngeal nerve; Adriamycin; tracheoesophageal fistula; Animal model; Tracheoesophageal; Rat; Esophageal disease; Fistula; Doxorubicin; Atresia; Vagus nerve; Nervous system diseases; Diseases of the trachea; Respiratory disease; Rodentia; Histology; Congenital disease; Recurrent nerve; Esophagus; Pathology; Motility disorder; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Malformation; Animal; Diseases of the autonomic nervous system; Digestive diseases; Anthracyclins
• ISSN: 0022-3468; 1531-5037
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-3468(97)90457-7

Background: After surgical correction of their esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (EA-TEF), many patients exhibit evidence of esophageal dysmotility. Controversy exists as to whether the esophageal motility disorders result from denervation caused by surgery or from an inherent abnormal innervation of the esophagus. Methods: The present study used an Adriamycin-induced EA-TEF fetal rat model to trace the course and branching of both the vagus and recurrent laryngeal nerves. Abnormalities observed in EA-TEF rat fetuses include: (1) fewer branches from both recurrent laryngeal nerves; (2) deviation of the left vagus from its normal course below the aorta, passing behind the fistula to approach and join with the right vagus to form a single nerve trunk on the right side of the esophagus; (3) relatively few branches from the single vagal nerve trunk (composed of fibers of the left and the right vagus) on the surface of the lower esophagus. Conclusions: Fetuses affected by EA-TEF have inherent abnormalities in the course and branching pattern of the vagus nerves as they descend through the thorax, culminating in a deficient extrinsic nerve fiber plexus in the lower esophagus. These observations may account for the esophageal motility disorders seen in patients who have EA-TEF even before surgical intervention.