Ultrashort bowel syndrome: surgical management and long-term results of an exceptional case

Current Surgical Concepts and Indications in the Management of the Short Bowel State: A Call for the Use of Multidisciplinary Intestinal Rehabilitation Programs

The mainstay of management for short bowel syndrome (SBS) is to promote access to the best quality of care provided by the intestinal rehabilitation program (IRP) in specialized centres. When treating SBS patients, the main goal is to minimize disease-associated complications, as well as achieve enteral autonomy. Surgical strategies should be selected cautiously upon the actual state of the bowel with respect to what it is clinically relevant for that specific patient. To this aim, a personalized and multidisciplinary approach for such a complex syndrome is needed.

The Surgical Approach to Short Bowel Syndrome - Autologous Reconstruction versus Transplantation

BACKGROUND

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a state of malabsorption resulting from massive small bowel resection leading to parenteral nutrition (PN) dependency. Considerable advances have been achieved in the medical and surgical management of SBS over the last few decades.

METHODS

This review discusses in detail the surgical approach to SBS.

RESULTS

Widespread use of PN enables long-term survival in patients with intestinal failure but at the cost of PN-associated life-threatening complications including catheter-associated blood stream infection, venous thrombosis, and liver disease. The goal of management of intestinal failure due to SBS is to enable enteral autonomy and wean PN by means of a multi-disciplinary approach. Availability of modified enteral feeding formulas have simplified nutrition supplementation in SBS patients. Similarly, advances in the medical field have made medications like growth hormone and glucagon-like peptide (GLP2) available to improve water and nutrient absorption as well as to enable achieving enteral autonomy. Autologous gastrointestinal reconstruction (AGIR) includes various techniques which manipulate the bowel surgically to facilitate the bowel adaptation process and restoration of enteral nutrition. Ultimately, intestinal transplantation can serve as the last option for the cure of intestinal failure when selectively applied.

CONCLUSION

SBS continues to be a challenging medical problem. Best patient outcomes can be achieved through an individualized plan, using various AGIR techniques to complement each other, and intestinal transplantation as a last resort for cure. Maximum benefit and improved outcomes can be achieved by caring for SBS patients at highly specialized intestinal rehabilitation centers.

Long-term outcome of home parenteral nutrition in patients with ultra-short bowel syndrome

OBJECTIVE

The patients with ultra-short bowel syndrome (U-SBS) have been considered potential candidates for a preemptive/rehabilitative intestinal transplantation owing to the high risk of death from the underlying disease. We hypothesized that children with U-SBS, in the absence of intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD), could also have a good rate of survival on home parenteral nutrition (HPN).

METHODS

A prospective database from the "Bambino Gesù" Artificial Nutrition and Intestinal Failure Program was used to evaluate outcomes and morbidities of consecutive patients with ≤ 10 cm of small bowel enrolled since 2000.

RESULTS

Eleven patients were identified with a median bowel length of 7.5 (3-9) cm. Eight patients developed IFALD, which reversed in 7 of them; the IFALD progressively worsened in 1 patient until death. One patient underwent isolated intestinal transplantation and 1 patient is no longer receiving parenteral nutrition (PN) and both are fully enterally fed. The other patients remained at least partially dependent on HPN. The number of days of inpatient care decreased in all of the patients except for the 1 who had repeated episodes of central line infections.

CONCLUSIONS

The survival of patients with U-SBS receiving HPN was good. Although IFALD was frequent, it had been manageable in most of the patients, but in a single complex case, it led to death. The multidisciplinary management warranted to these patients to approach the school age, to grow, and to maintain the oral intake. Patients with U-SBS are rare, and to better understand their long-term survival, further studies, including more large patient populations, are required.

Successful rehabilitation in pediatric ultrashort small bowel syndrome

OBJECTIVE

To examine treatment outcomes in pediatric patients with ultrashort small bowel (USSB) syndrome in an intestinal rehabilitation program (IRP).

STUDY DESIGN

We reviewed IRP records for 2001-2011 and identified 28 children with USSB (≤ 20 cm of small bowel). We performed univariate analysis using the Fisher exact test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test to compare characteristics of children who achieved parenteral nutrition (PN) independence with intact native bowel and those who did not. Growth, nutritional status, and hepatic laboratory test results were compared from the time of enrollment to the most recent values using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

RESULTS

Of the 28 patients identified, 27 (96%) survived. Almost one-half (48%) of these survivors achieved PN independence with their native bowel. The successfully rehabilitated patients were more likely to have an intact colon and ileocecal valve (P = .01). Significant improvements in PN kcal/kg, total bilirubin, and height and weight z-scores were seen in all patients, but serum hepatic transaminase levels did not improve in the nonrehabilitated patients.

CONCLUSION

Enrollment in an IRP provides an excellent probability of survival for children with USSB. The presence of an intact ileocecal valve and colon are positively associated with rehabilitation in this population, but are not requisite. Approximately one-half of patients with USSB can achieve rehabilitation, with a median time to PN independence of less than 2 years. The USSB population can attain reduced PN dependence, improvement of PN-associated liver disease, and enhanced growth with the aid of an IRP.

Ultrashort bowel syndrome in children

OBJECTIVE

Recent data have demonstrated improved survival in children with intestinal failure. We hypothesized that this trend would also be observed in children with ultrashort bowel syndrome.

METHODS

A prospective database from Seattle Children's Intestinal Failure Program was used to evaluate outcomes and morbidities of consecutive patients with 10 cm or less of small bowel enrolled in the program since 2005. Data are listed as median (range).

RESULTS

Five patients were identified with a bowel length of 6 (1-10) cm and follow-up of 54 (43-61) months. All children have survived and are currently between 3.5 and 5.5 years of age. One patient underwent isolated intestinal transplantation and one patient is currently listed for intestinal transplantation. The transplanted child is fully enterally fed. The other patients remain at least partially dependent on parenteral nutrition. None of these patients have current evidence of parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease. Patients have required extensive care after referral to our program, including 18 (15-32) visits to the emergency room, 152 (114-273) days of inpatient care, and 6 (5-9) central line-associated blood stream infections.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term survival in children with ultrashort bowel length is possible after referral to an intestinal failure program, although extensive medical management is required. These children may be reasonable candidates for long-standing intestinal rehabilitation as a bridge to intestinal transplantation.

Autologous gastrointestinal reconstruction: review of the optimal nontransplant surgical options for adults and children with short bowel syndrome

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) results in loss of absorptive capacity of the development of gut, leading to malabsorption due to protein, energy, fluid, and electrolyte loss and imbalance while on enteral diet alone. Various nonsurgical and surgical therapeutic options that have emerged improve the survival outcome following SBS in both children and adults. An individualized, complex multidisciplinary approach to medical and surgical intestinal rehabilitation is needed to provide an opportunity for enteral autonomy to be possible in a patient with SBS. The remnant bowel plays a very pivotal role in autologous gastrointestinal reconstruction (AGIR) surgery. Intestinal transplantation, although promising and potentially life-saving for SBS, should be reserved for patients with failed AGIR or those who have no prospect for autologous enteral autonomy. This article reviews the evolution of nontransplant surgical management of patients with SBS.

Short bowel syndrome: a practical pathway leading to successful enteral autonomy

BACKGROUND

Short bowel syndrome is a multisystemic disorder that results from the loss of a significant amount of small bowel. The goal of treatment in these patients is to achieve complete enteral autonomy while minimizing complications. Our unit has 30 years of experience in the management of short gut patients. During the past decade, our results have improved significantly, especially in children with severe short bowel syndrome. This brief communication looks at the algorithm presently used in our unit.

METHODS

In this communication, the principles in management of short bowel syndrome in our unit are discussed. In addition, our algorithm is published for the first time. A brief summary of our results is provided.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven children were enrolled from 2000 to 2009. In this cohort, two patients died because of significant liver disease: one after having two liver and bowel transplants. Overall, survival stands at 92%. All had autologous gastrointestinal reconstruction, and 19 patients underwent bowel lengthening (longitudinal intestinal lengthening and tailoring). The median residual length of bowel of this subgroup at first operation was 25 cm in those who had their gut measured. Two patients were lost to follow-up. Two patients remain on supplemental total parenteral nutrition (TPN), with an overall 91% of surviving patients off TPN at a median of 6 months after reconstruction.

CONCLUSIONS

We believe this improvement is related to the development-over many years-of a structured pathway for managing these patients.

The dilated bowel: a liability and an asset

The gastrointestinal tract responds to significant mechanical or functional obstruction by dilatation and hypertrophy of the segment proximal to the obstruction. Excessive dilatation compromises motility, and absorption and is associated with considerable morbidity (intraluminal stasis, sepsis) such that bowel dilatation represents a major liability that predisposes the patient to intestinal failure. The dilated bowel proximal to an obstruction provides valuable autologous material for reconstruction with "tissue appropriate to the part." Bowel elongation and dilatation are integral to the natural intestinal adaptation response to loss of small bowel and can also be induced through a structured "Bowel Expansion" program. The additional absorptive tissue that is progressively generated is essential for reconstruction of the bowel (tailoring and lengthening), to restore gastrointestinal dynamics (effective propulsion and absorption), and to reduce morbidity (intraluminal stasis, sepsis). In enhancing the prospects for enteral autonomy, dilatation and elongation of the residual autologous bowel are crucial to long-term survival and good quality life, and represent a most welcome asset. This paper reviews the impact and management of bowel dilatation along the gastrointestinal tract.