Anephric Neonate and Evolution of our Study on Intestinal Dialysis

Intestinal dialysis for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a proposed renal replacement therapy, and studies are going on worldwide to make it practicable. We are also doing the same study in our institution and would like to share our experience in managing an anephric neonate with intestinal dialysis in the perspective of our ongoing study of intestinal dialysis since 2010.

We did double-ended jejunostomy in an isolated loop of the jejunum keeping the main tract intact with jejunojejunal anastomosis in this anephric neonate. Following that, we started irrigation with peritoneal dialysis fluid from the 3^rd postoperative day (POD) in that jejunal loop through jejunostomy.

This patient had no uremic features since re-admission and showed better laboratory and clinical outcomes with combined jejunal loop and colonic dialysis for 7 days. However, the patient died on the 9^th POD following severe hypoglycemia.

From this study, it seems intestinal dialysis, with necessary modifications done in our subsequent patients, which might be recommended for ESRD in children as well as in adults.