title: Intestinal and multivisceral  transplantation in patients with chronic intestinal failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with chronic intestinal failure are treated primarily with parenteral nutrition, often for many years. If serious complications arise for intravenous nutritional therapy, it is possible to perform intestinal or multi-organ transplantation in selected patients. We have established a collaboration with Professor Michael Olausson at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg and Professor Andreas Tzakis at the Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, USA, to provide an option for Norwegian patients with chronic intestinal failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective long-term study of seven patients (five in Gothenburg and two in Miami) with chronic intestinal failure who underwent intestinal or multi-organ transplantation (ventricle, duodenum, pancreas and small intestine) in the period 2001-2009. At the same time, liver and kidney transplantations were performed on six and two patients, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four of seven patients are alive and have a good quality of life 24-120 months after the transplantation. The graft function is satisfactory, so that the patients' food intake is mainly oral. Three patients died following a serious infection one, ten and 24 months, respectively, after transplantation took place.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intestinal and multi-organ transplantation is a demanding and expensive treatment. Life-long multi-disciplinary follow-up of the patients is necessary after the transplantation in order to ensure early diagnosis of rejection and infections. Collaboration with international centres has given Norwegian patients with chronic intestinal failure an option of transplantation with satisfactory long-term results.
authors.affiliation: Section for Transplantation Surgery, Department of Paediatric Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Rikshospitalet, Norway. obentdal@ous-hf.no
authors.forename: Øystein H
authors.initials: ØH
authors.lastname: Bentdal
authors.forename: Aksel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Foss
authors.forename: Anniken Bjørnstad
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Østensen
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lundin
authors.forename: Inger Nina
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Farstad
authors.forename: Pål-Dag
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Line
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004386:Duodenum / Q000637:transplantation; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000637:transplantation; D007422:Intestines / Q000637:transplantation*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D012778:Short Bowel Syndrome / Q000601:surgery; D013270:Stomach / Q000637:transplantation; D016896:Treatment Outcome