Objective: To study the machanism of the development of intestinal metaplasia through the transplantation of a flap of gastric wall with vascular pedicle to the intestines.
Methods: The pedicled gastric wall flaps of Wistar rats were transplanted to their duodenum, jejunum and colon respectively. After the operation the rats were killed at the 3th, 6th, 9th and 12th month respectively, and histological change of the gastric grafts was observed with optical and electron microscopy.
Results: Intestinal metaplasia was found in all the gastric grafts transplanted to the intestines and the alkaline phosphatase positive intestinal metaplasia was seen in the gastric graft mucosa transplanted to the duodenum and jejunum.
Conclusions: The formation of intestinal metaplasia in the gastric mucosa may be related to a change of the microenvironment around the tissues, and gastric mucosa may differentiate into intestinal mucosa by the increase of pH value. The possible mechanism of the development of intestinal metaplasia was discussed.