Intestinal and multivisceral transplantation in patients with chronic intestinal failure

Patients with chronic intestinal failure are treated primarily with parenteral nutrition, often for many years. If serious complications arise for intravenous nutritional therapy, it is possible to perform intestinal or multi-organ transplantation in selected patients. We have established a collaboration with Professor Michael Olausson at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg and Professor Andreas Tzakis at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, USA, to provide an option for Norwegian patients with chronic intestinal failure.

Retrospective long-term study of seven patients (five in Gothenburg and two in Miami) with chronic intestinal failure who underwent intestinal or multi-organ transplantation (ventricle, duodenum, pancreas and small intestine) in the period 2001-2009. At the same time, liver and kidney transplantations were performed on six and two patients, respectively.

Four of seven patients are alive and have a good quality of life 24-120 months after the transplantation. The graft function is satisfactory, so that the patients' food intake is mainly oral. Three patients died following a serious infection one, ten and 24 months, respectively, after transplantation took place.

Intestinal and multi-organ transplantation is a demanding and expensive treatment. Life-long multi-disciplinary follow-up of the patients is necessary after the transplantation in order to ensure early diagnosis of rejection and infections. Collaboration with international centres has given Norwegian patients with chronic intestinal failure an option of transplantation with satisfactory long-term results.