Current status of intestinal transplantation in East Asia

Intestinal transplantation (ITx) activity remains low in East Asia. We conducted a multinational, retrospective study on patients who underwent ITx in Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, to provide an overview and to foresee future developments and collaborations in this region.

Total 71 ITx were performed in 67 patients. Living donor ITx was most commonly conducted in Japan (n = 13). Despite the low caseload, all three countries demonstrated acceptable patient survival rates of approximately 70% at 5 years. Over 70% of recipients with a functioning graft were free from total parenteral nutrition.

There is an urgent need to establish a nationwide and multinational registry of ITx recipients and patients with intestinal failure in East Asia. An efficient referral system to specialized intestinal rehabilitation and ITx centers and a multidisciplinary team approach is also warranted to provide state-of-the-art treatment for patients desperately waiting for a chance to survive.