Overview of short bowel syndrome and intestinal transplantation.

Abstract

Short bowel syndrome is at once a surgical, medical, and a disorder, with potential for life-threatening complications as well as eventual independence from artificial nutrition. Navigating through the diagnostic and therapeutic decisions is ideally accomplished by a multidisciplinary team comprised of nutrition, pharmacy, social work, medicine, and surgery. Early identification of patients at risk for long-term PN-dependency is the first step towards avoiding severe complications. Close monitoring of nutritional status, steady and early introduction of enteral nutrition, and aggressive prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infections such as line sepsis, and bacterial overgrowth can significantly improve prognosis. Intestinal transplantation is an emerging treatment that may be considered when intestinal failure is irreversible and children are suffering from serious complications related to TPN administration.