"Spiral intestinal lenghtening and tailoring (SILT)" for a child with severely short bowel

Nutrition and Intestinal Rehabilitation of Children With Short Bowel Syndrome: A Position Paper of the ESPGHAN Committee on Nutrition. Part 2: Long-Term Follow-Up on Home Parenteral Nutrition

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is the leading cause of intestinal failure (IF) in children. The preferred treatment for IF is parenteral nutrition which may be required until adulthood. The aim of this position paper is to review the available evidence on managing SBS and to provide practical guidance to clinicians dealing with this condition. All members of the Nutrition Committee of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) contributed to this position paper. Some renowned experts in the field joined the team to guide with their expertise. A systematic literature search was performed from 2005 to May 2021 using PubMed, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. In the absence of evidence, recommendations reflect the expert opinion of the authors. Literature on SBS mainly consists of retrospective single-center experience, thus most of the current papers and recommendations are based on expert opinion. All recommendations were voted on by the expert panel and reached >90% agreement. This second part of the position paper is dedicated to the long-term management of children with SBS-IF. The paper mainly focuses on how to achieve intestinal rehabilitation, treatment of complications, and on possible surgical and medical management to increase intestinal absorption.

Surgical Treatment of Short Bowel Syndrome—The Past, the Present and the Future, a Descriptive Review of the Literature

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a devastating disorder with both short- and long-term implications for patients. Unfortunately, the prevalence of SBS has doubled over the past 40 years. Broadly speaking, the etiology of SBS can be categorized as congenital or secondary, the latter typically due to extensive small bowel resection following diseases of the small intestine, e.g., necrotizing enterocolitis, Hirschsprung’s disease or intestinal atresia. As of yet, no cure exists, thus, conservative treatment, primarily parenteral nutrition (PN), is the first-line therapy. In some cases, weaning from PN is not possible and operative therapy is required. The invention of the longitudinal intestinal lengthening and tailoring (LILT or Bianchi) procedure in 1980 was a major step forward in patient care and spawned further techniques that continue to improve lives for patients with severe SBS (e.g., double barrel enteroplasty, serial transverse enteroplasty, etc.). With this review, we aim to provide an overview of the clinical implications of SBS, common conservative therapies and the development of operative techniques over the past six decades. We also provide a short outlook on the future of operative techniques, specifically with respect to regenerative medicine.

Autologous Intestinal Reconstruction Surgery in Short Bowel Syndrome: Which, When, and Why

Short bowel syndrome (SBS), secondary to any natural loss or after any extensive bowel resection for congenital malformations or acquired disease, is the most common cause of intestinal failure in children. Extensive introduction of parenteral nutrition (PN) has dramatically changed the outcome of these patients, allowing for long-term survival. The main goal in children with SBS remains to be increasing enteral tolerance and weaning from PN support. Post resection intestinal adaptation allows for achievement of enteral autonomy in a subset of these patients, but the inability to progress in enteral tolerance exposes others to long-term complications of PN. Autologous intestinal reconstruction surgery (AIRS) can facilitate the fulfilment of enteral autonomy, maximizing the absorptive potential of the remaining gut. All the different intestinal reconstruction techniques, from simple procedures like tapering, reversed segments, and colon interposition, to more complex lengthening procedures (LILT: longitudinal intestinal lengthening and tailoring, STEP: serial transverse enteroplasty, and SILT: spiral intestinal lengthening and tailoring) and techniques designed for peculiar problems like controlled intestinal tissue expansion or duodenal lengthening are presented. AIRS indications, clinical applications, and results reported in the literature are reviewed.

Nontransplant Surgery for Intestinal Failure

Insufficient absorptive mucosal surface is the fundamental problem in the short bowel state. Intestinal adaptation has been well studied, and it is well recognized that it may lead to dilatation of the bowel with increased thickness of the bowel wall, resulting from both mucosal hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Autologous reconstructive surgery exploits bowel dilatation in short bowel syndrome and maximizes the absorptive potential of the available mucosal surface. Indeed, autologous gastrointestinal reconstructive procedures may be better viewed as optimizing bowel diameter rather than focusing on length, thus allowing better prograde peristalsis and improved contact between luminal nutrients and mucosa, ultimately enhancing absorption.

Reconstructive Surgery for Intestinal Failure

BACKGROUND

Intestinal failure (IF) in the adult is the result of a wide spectrum of disease. Acute mesenteric ischemia, postoperative short bowel due to a complicative course, and Crohn's disease are major causes of IF. Reconstructive surgery in the context of IF comprises a spectrum of procedures including stoma takedown, reversal of laparostomies, and closure of enteric fistulas.

METHODS

This article is based on a PubMed-based literature search and personal experience in adult patients with IF.

RESULTS

This review summarizes therapeutic options of reconstructive surgery in adult patients focusing on the main reasons of IF such as mesenteric ischemia, complicative previous surgery, and Crohn's disease. Indications and contraindications are discussed as well as the optimal time point of reconstructive surgery.

CONCLUSION

This overview summarizes surgical aspects in a special cohort of patients with a rare disease entity necessitating an interdisciplinary approach.

Restoring gut physiology in short bowel patients: from bench to clinical application of autologous intestinal reconstructive procedures

Introduction: Short bowel syndrome represents the leading etiology that causes intestinal failure both in children and adults. Total parenteral nutrition support has dramatically improved the prognosis for these patients but, if related irreversible complications occur, the alternative is represented by surgery and/or transplantation. Areas covered: Autologous gastrointestinal reconstructive procedures are a feasible, alternative approach with good long-term outcome data inexperienced surgical centers. Expert opinion: Ongoing innovative efforts have driven the surgical options for successful autologous reconstructive surgery: bowel elongation/tapering techniques (LILT, STEP, and the new SILT) together with the 'reversed bowel segment' procedure are now recognized procedures and all must be tailored to the individual patient needs to obtain the optimal result in terms of enteral autonomy. Background laboratory experimentation with new procedures e.g. options for bowel dilation techniques and distraction-induced enterogenesis, may provide additional management and treatment modalities.

Short bowel syndrome in children and adults: from rehabilitation to transplantation

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a dramatic clinical condition in both children and adults; the residual bowel length is not sufficient to avoid intestinal failure, with subsequent malnutrition and growth retardation, and intravenous support is required to provide the nutrients normally coming from the intestine. Apart from the primary disease, the medical status can be worsened by complications of intestinal failure: if there are irreversible, the prognosis is poor unless a successful intestinal rehabilitation is achieved. Areas covered: The rescue of the remnant small bowel requires a multidisciplinary expertise to achieve digestive autonomy. The use of intestinal trophic factors has shown encouraging results in improving the intestinal adaptation process. Whenever the residual bowel length is inadequate, in a well-selected population weaning parenteral nutrition (PN) off could be attempted by surgery through lengthening procedures. A further subset of patients, with total and irreversible intestinal failure and severe complications on PN, may have an indication to intestinal transplantation. This procedure is still affected by poor long-term results. Expert commentary: Novel approaches developed through a multidisciplinary team work, such as manipulation of microbiota or tissue bioengineering, should be added to current therapies to treat successfully SBS.

Non-transplant Surgical Management of Short Bowel Syndrome in Children: An Overview

Management of severe Short Bowel Syndrome (SBS) is still one of the largest challenges of the medicine. Vast majority of the short bowel patients are children, the conditions that lead to this possible outcome most often are necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), small intestinal volvulus as a result of intestinal malrotation, gastroschisis and the "apple peel" syndrome. Therefore, paediatricians and paediatric surgeons face this challenge most often. The nontransplant treatment appears to be effective using surgical procedure to increase absorptive surface and to reduce the transit time, but in some cases these procedures are enough to weaning of TPN. The aim of this review was to summarize the modern non-stransplant surgical management of short bowel syndrome.

Surgeon's perspective on short bowel syndrome: Where are we?

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is due to a massive loss of small bowel: the reduction of gut function is below the minimum necessary to maintain health (in adults) and growth (in children) so intravenous supplementation is required. Parenteral nutrition represents the milestone of treatment and surgical attempts should be limited only when the residual bowel is sufficient to increase absorption, reducing diarrhea and slowing the transit time of nutrients, water and electrolytes. The surgical techniques lengthen the bowel (tapering it) or reverse a segment of it: developed in children, nowadays are popular also among adults. The issue is mainly represented by the residual length of the small bowel where ileum has shown increased adaptive function than jejunum, but colon should be considered because of its importance in the digestive process. These concepts have been translated also in intestinal transplantation, where a colonic graft is nowadays widely used and the terminal ileum is the selected segment for a living-related donation. The whole replacement by a bowel or multivisceral transplant is still affected by poor long term outcome and must be reserved to a select population of SBS patients, affected by intestinal failure associated with irreversible complications of parenteral nutrition.

Autologous intestinal reconstruction surgery

The management of short bowel syndrome has mainly been focused on intestinal rehabilitation as part of multidisciplinary team approach in specialized centers. While some patients go through a process of bowel adaptation that allows them to reach enteral autonomy, others reach a plateau before this and require prolonged parenteral nutrition and/or intestinal transplantation. Various autologous intestinal reconstruction procedures centered on bowel tapering have been described to increase functional intestinal area and help gain enteral autonomy. This review discusses the surgical techniques, advantages, limitations, and general outcomes of each procedure.

Surgical strategies in short bowel syndrome

Extensive loss of small bowel in all age groups has significant morbidity and mortality consequences. Despite the astonishing ability of the small bowel to compensate for an extensive loss, long-term parenteral nutrition and enteral nutrition, tailored to the need of the patients in relation to the missing intestinal regions is needed. Organ-preserving surgical intervention becomes necessary in patients with a very short intestinal transit time and in an other group of patients with impaired propulsive peristalsis. Intestinal transplantation is indicated in recurrent septical infections or if nearly all of the small bowel is missing. This review discusses indications and risks of the organ-preserving surgical therapies in children with short bowel syndrome.

Intestinal Failure in Children

Children with intestinal failure have had improved survival, particularly those with extreme short bowel syndrome, over the last 10-15 y. This has been attributed to better understanding of the pathophysiology of intestinal failure, improvement in line care, recognition of the importance of a team approach as well as the progress of intestinal transplant as a viable option. Parenteral nutrition remains the cornerstone for the continual survival of these patients. This review will cover contemporary approaches to intestinal failure including post surgical approaches, non-transplant surgery, dietetic and medication approaches during the adaptation process, considerations for home parenteral nutrition and latest in intestinal transplantation.

Surgical management and autologous intestinal reconstruction in short bowel syndrome

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a serious condition with considerable morbidity and mortality. When treatment with parenteral nutrition fails and life-threatening complications occur, autologous intestinal reconstruction (AIR) should be considered before intestinal transplantation (ITx). Single or combined ITx should be reserved for patients with severe liver disease and as last resort in the treatment of SBS. Longitudinal intestinal lengthening and tailoring (LILT) has proven its value in AIR, but its availability depends on the expertise of the surgeons. Serial transverse enteroplasty (STEP) has similar success rates as LILT and fewer patients progress to ITx. STEP is also applicable at small bowel dilatation in ultra-short bowel syndrome. The scope may be widened when duodenal dilatation can be treated as well. Spiral intestinal lengthening and tailoring (SILT) is a promising alternative. More research is needed to confirm these findings. Therefore we suggest an international data registry for all intestinal lengthening procedures.

Modified Spiral Intestinal Lengthening and Tailoring for Short Bowel Syndrome

Background. The spiral intestinal lengthening and tailoring (SILT) procedure is a new surgical technique for autologous intestinal reconstruction in patients with short bowel syndrome. The aim of this work is to present a first description of a modified SILT technique by which the mucosal layer is left intact to possibly reduce the severe postoperative complications of intestinal leakage and abdominal abscess formation. Materials and Methods. The modified SILT technique was performed on a 10-cm-long intestinal segment in 2 pigs to determine the technical feasibility. Thereafter, the short-term clinical feasibility was monitored clinically in 2 dogs by gastrointestinal X-ray series at postoperative day 4 and by relaparotomy postoperative day 10. Results. It was technically feasible to lengthen the intestinal segment from 10 cm to 20 cm and tailoring it from 3 cm to 1.7 cm in diameter, while leaving the intestinal mucosal layer intact. The postoperative course was uneventful for both dogs. The gastrointestinal X-ray series showed an inconspicuous intestinal transit time without any signs of stricture, perforation, or leakage. In the relaparotomy, the initially achieved lengthening and tailoring extents were preserved and the operated intestinal segment was well perfused with no early signs of necrosis, stenosis, or leakage. Conclusions. Leaving the mucosal layer intact during SILT is technically and clinically feasible in the short term in a large animal model. Further studies are needed to fully assess the impact of this technical modification on the long-term outcome of larger series.