Pediatric intestinal transplantation: normal radiographic appearance and complications

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Transplantation Imaging
• Gastrointestinal Radiology

Background:

• Pediatric intestinal transplantation is a complex procedure for end-stage intestinal failure.
• Accurate pre-transplant assessment and vigilant post-transplant surveillance are critical for successful outcomes.
• Imaging plays a pivotal role throughout the entire process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of pediatric intestinal transplantation.
• To describe the indications, surgical techniques, and imaging modalities used.
• To illustrate normal and abnormal post-transplant imaging findings and offer a diagnostic algorithm.

Main Methods:

• Pictorial essay format utilizing radiological images.
• Review of indications, surgical steps, and imaging protocols.
• Depiction of common post-transplant complications: rejection, infection, PTLD, mechanical and vascular issues.

Main Results:

• Detailed illustration of pre-transplant imaging work-up.
• Comprehensive depiction of normal post-transplant imaging appearance.
• Visual examples of diverse post-transplant complications including rejection, infection, PTLD, and mechanical/vascular issues.

Conclusions:

• Imaging is essential for pre-transplant evaluation and post-transplant complication detection in pediatric intestinal transplantation.
• Familiarity with normal and abnormal imaging findings aids in timely diagnosis and management.
• An imaging algorithm assists clinicians in evaluating suspected post-transplant complications efficiently.