The intraindividual variation in small intestinal strength in the pig

Abstract

The object of the study was to determine the intraindividual and interindividual variation in the bursting strength of the small intestine of pigs.
Seven pigs were subjected to laparotomy and the in vivo bursting strength of the small intestine was determined at ten different sites. The strength of the small intestine increased with increasing distance from the ligament of Treitz. The median strength in the jejunum was 160 mm Hg (range 135—195), in the ileum 196 mm Hg (range 148-274).
The variation between pig and pig was great, but the intraindividual variation could not be explained by the interindividual variation alone.
The results demonstrated that when conducting studies on the strength of the small intestine, it is of the utmost importance in order to achieve comparability, to use similar sites on the intestine when the study design is group comparisons, and neighbouring sites when the study design is intraindividual comparison.