Small bowel reversal procedure for treatment of the "short gut" baby.

An increasing number of infants have undergone massive intestinal resection for various reasons: uncontrollable diarrhea, malabsorption, and failure to thrive makes these babies a difficult management problem and threatens their survival and later "quality of life." Five short gut babies have had a 3-cm small bowel reversal operation as part of the total salvage effort. It is recognized that very skilled care by dedicated personnel and parents, utilizing i.v. nutrition and special feeding techniques, is probably the most significant factor in achieving success with these babies. It is believed small bowel reversal helps in keeping these infants alive while their intestinal tract is making the adjustments necessary for long-term survival.