Small bowel transplantation

Intestinal transplantation is gradually becoming a therapeutic intervention rather than an experimental procedure. In the long term, the best outcome for patients with intestinal failure remains total parenteral nutrition, but where this is unlikely to allow long-term survival because of loss of venous access sites or severe cholestasis, intestinal transplantation should be considered. The technical aspects of the procedure are well described and advances in recent years in both immunosuppression and antimicrobial therapy have led to improved outcomes, particularly in the larger centers. Graft monitoring and the profound sepsis that accompanies graft dysfunction due to bacterial translocation remain major challenges, whereas the issues of denervation, lymphatic disruption, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and nonphysiological venous drainage have not proved to be major problems. Whether intestinal transplantation will become an alternative for the stable patient on total parenteral nutrition rather than a salvage procedure for when total parenteral nutrition fails remains to be seen.