Small bowel transplant
A transplant to replace an infected small bowel( intestine) with a healthy, conditioned bowel is known as a small bowel transplant.
When can a small bowel transplant be done?
People who develop bowel failure and arising total parenteral nutrition (TPN) complications may consider doing a small bowel transplant.
A short bowel syndrome or a non-functioning bowel causes intestinal malfunctions resulting lack of nutrient absorption from the food.
Short bowel syndrome
Short bowel syndrome occurs when a massive part of the small bowel is missing or damaged.
The causes can be;
- Twisting of the bowel (volvulus)
- Congenital disability, where the infant develops bowel outside
- Bowel tissue dies
- Bowel cancer
People with short bowel syndrome must undergo some total parenteral nutrition (TPN).
Assessment before transplant
You will undergo the tests over 1 to 3 weeks if you are ready for the transplant.
Tests taken include:
- Blood tests check your liver function and kidney function to find out if you possess any severe infections, like, HIV or hepatitis
- X-ray, a CT scan, and an ultrasound scan
- A colonoscopy
Transplant procedure
A small bowel transplant usually takes around 8 to 10 hours, although it can take longer under general anesthesia.
After eliminating your diseased bowel, the blood vessels connect to the transplanted bowel’s blood vessels. Then a connection gets the transplanted bowel to your digestive tract.
Your surgeon will form an ileostomy; the ileostomy allows all the digestive wastes to pass out of your body. This operation also aids the transplant team in assessing the health of your transplanted bowel.
Recovery
After the transplantation, you’ll be led to the intensive care unit (ICU) and placed under monitoring. You’ll also undergo frequent biopsies to check the health of your bowel.
Endoscopy can also be inserted into your stomach to examine your bowel condition. Once you’ve begun to recover, you’ll usually move to a specialist transplant ward, providing immunosuppressant medicine, painkillers, and nutrition through a tube into a vein (TPN).
You’ll get discharged from the hospital within four weeks.
Risks of undergoing the transplant
Like all other surgeries, small bowel transplants can also end in certain complications.
Serious complications can occur like:
- Heart and breathing problems
- Infection of the small bowel – cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- Blood clots (thrombosis)
- Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD)
- Donar organ rejection
- Kidney problems
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 04 October 2022