[Physiopathology of the short bowel: apropos of 2 cases]

A 54 years old white woman and a 38 years old white man with short-bowel disease are reported. Both of them were submitted to surgical procedures for urinary oxalate calculi. They presented malabsorption syndrome with steatorrhea and severe malnutrition. The patients received parenteral nutrition. The woman had also cholelithiasis and acute pancreatitis. The clinical and laboratory data are presented and the pathophysiology of short-bowel disease with emphasis on bile salts depletion, the effect of bile salts on colon oxalate absorption, and intestinal loss of water is commented. The management of short-bowel disease and the use of cholesteramine and the supplementary diet is discussed.