Small bowel and liver/small bowel transplantation in children.

A clinical trial of intestinal transplantation was initiated at the University of Pittsburgh in May 1990. Eleven children received either a combined liver/small bowel graft (n = 8) or an isolated small bowel graft (n = 3). Induction as well as maintenance immunosuppression was with FK-506 and steroids. Four patients were male, and seven were female; the age range was 6 months to 10.2 years. There were 3 deaths (all in recipients of the combined liver/small bowel graft), which were attributed to graft-versus-host disease (n = 1), posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (n = 1), and biliary leak (n = 1). Transplantation of the intestine has evolved into a feasible operation, with an overall patient and graft survival rate of 73%. These survivors are free of total parenteral nutrition, and the majority are home. These encouraging results justify further clinical trials.