Success Rate of Intestinal Transplantation
Improved anti-rejection drugs, refined surgical procedures, better prevention of infection, and a greater understanding of immunology have all contributed to successful intestinal transplants. Survival rates are now comparable to, or better than, the results of lung transplantation. Of the surviving patients, three-fourths have stopped total parenteral nutrition (TPN) resuming on a normal oral diet. Because most of the patients in the international Intestinal Transplant Registry have been followed for a brief period time; it will take several years to obtain reliable data on long-term results.
To become the standard treatment for intestinal failure, transplantation must offer better survival, better quality of life, and lower costs than TPN. Considerable progress has been made towards these goals, but further refinements are needed before bowel transplantation becomes a routine surgical procedure.