A 6-shaped recirculating loop and a double jejunal pouch were made in the small intestine of adult dogs for study of their functions as a substitute for stomach.Observations were performed by such methods as measurement of action potential of smooth muscle (extracellular electrode method), X-ray checks and recording of intraluminal pressure curves with an electric manometer.
The 6-shaped recirculating loop, which was 50 cm in length, had a certain capacity to accommodate the contents, without showing any significant expansion.
Concerning the action potential, there was no remarkable change in cycle of spike burst generation, and in amplitude in spike potentials, in groups of 20 cm and 50 cm loop in length. But in the group of 80 cm loop in length, the frequency of spike burst generation was decreased and some irregular patterns were observed.
Inside the double jejunal pouch of pantaloon shape, the contents stagnated temporarily but remarkable expansion of the pouch was not observed . Those changes in action potential and intraluminal pressure indicated that two canals connected in parallel maintained separate intrinsic rhythms. Action potential recorded after three months indicated that there was no remarkable change in cycle of spike burst, though some decrease in activity and desynchronization of spike discharge were observed in each side of stoma. So, it would be likely that an intrinsic property and original propagation were maintained in their portions.