Luminal contact with University of Wisconsin solution improves human small bowel preservation

AIM: Under clinical conditions small bowel mucosa is stored without any contact between the mucosa and the preservation solution. We evaluated the impact of luminal contact with University of Wisconsin solution (UW) on the structural quality of small bowel preservation. METHODS: Segments of ileum harvested from stable multi-organ donors were flushed with UW. For each donor, ileal segments were placed in UW without any contact between the mucosa and the preservation solution (group A), as is practiced in clinical conditions. Adjacent segments were cut on their antimesenteric side and placed in UW so that their mucosa was widely in contact with the solution (group B). The grafts preserved in ice were removed from the preservation fluid at different times (0, 3, 6, or 12 hours). Tissues were studied by optical microscopy after H