title: [Intestinal transplantation].
abstract: Even though surgical techniques for isolated intestine, liver-intestine, and multivisceral transplantations were developed in the 1960's, very few patients were transplanted before 1990 because initial immunosuppression regimens were insufficient, making intestine transplantation impossible. Intestine transplantation resulted in death in most patients within days or months. The discouraging results of the first clinical trials were due to technical complications, sepsis, and the failure of conventional immunosuppression to control rejection. By 1990 the development of tacrolimus-based immunosuppression and improved surgical techniques, the increased array of potent immunosuppressive medications, infection prophylaxis, and suitable patient selection helped improve actuarial graft and patient survival rates for all types of intestine transplantation. The aims of this review are to describe the current status of intestine transplantation including the underlying diseases and conditions that may be indications for intestine transplantation, to identify patient populations for this indication, to provide key steps for patient evaluation, to summarize current recommendations for immunosuppression, to list the most common postoperative complications, and to discuss the international experience of small bowel transplantation compiled and analyzed by the International Intestine Transplant Registry since 1985.
authors.affiliation: Service de Chirurgie Viscérale et de Transplantation Hépatique, Hôpital de L'Archet II, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de Nice, Nice, France. yandza.t@chu-nice.fr
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yandza
authors.forename: Stéphane Michel
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Canioni
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Saint-Paul
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gugenheim
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chevalier
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Goubaux
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benchimol
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hébuterne
mesh_terms: D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000637:transplantation*; D019520:Living Donors; D018579:Patient Selection; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000145:classification