Non-anatomical intestinal transplantation

Introduction: intestinal transplantation is the only long-range treatment option for patients with intestinal failure. We report an exceptional case of isolated intestinal transplantation with the implant in a non-anatomical position. Clinical case: the patient was a thirty-eight-year-old man (60 kg weight, 180 cm height, 18.3 body mass index) with intestinal failure and home parenteral nutrition due to a short-bowel syndrome for which intestinal transplantation was indicated. The patient had a vascular malformation with the cava vein located left to the aorta, and the intestine was implanted with a 180° rotation around the mesenteric axis, so that the implant's superior mesenteric artery and vein matched the recipient's cava and aorta. Post-operative follow-up was excellent and the patient was discharged after six weeks with a 10-kg gain in body weight. Discussion: this non-anatomical intestinal implantation of the small bowel, previously unreported, offers technical advantages over other options. Adequate intestinal function represents a unique model to prove the viability of intestinal implants in a nonanatomical position. Copyright © 2009 Arán Ediciones, S. L.