Colon transplantation: a new microvascular technique.

This paper describes a new transplantation technique, using the colon instead of the small bowel for intestinal transplantation. With microsurgical techniques, allogeneic colon transplantation was carried out in rats in a heterotopic fashion. The vascular pedicle containing the aortic cuff and the portal vein was anastomosed to the aorta and the inferior vena cava of the host, respectively. The technique has proven reliable and reproducible, and our preliminary results suggest that the colon produces a milder rejection response than transplantation of the small bowel.