Interstitial cells of cajal in normal human alimentary tract : immunohistochemical study / Zeinab Mohamed Elmaadawi ; Supervused Mohamed Ahmed Abdelhafez , Amal Mostafa Abbas , Dina Mohamed Radwan

Thesis (PH.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty Of Medicine - Department Of Histology

Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) are thought to play an important role in the control of gut motilityThe regional and transmural distribution of ICC in the normal human alimentary tract was investigated using c - kit immunohistochemistryICC were detected in the myenteric plexus layer of the esophagus , corpus , pylorus , small intestine , colon and rectumIntramuscular ICC could be demonstrated in the esophagus , fundus , corpus , pylorus , colon , rectum and anal canalICC at the deep muscular plexus were found only in the small intestineIn the pylorus , colon and rectum , ICC were also found at the submucosal border of the circular muscle layerIn addition , scattered ICC were noticed among the smooth muscle fibers of the gall bladder wallComputer - aided image analysis for quantitative morphometric study of ICC was also performedThe results of such technique verified the histological findings as proved by statistical analysisIn addition , five specimens of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) were obtained and they showed positive c - kit immunostaining supporting the suggestion that ICC may be precursors of GISTs

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