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• Recurrence of underlying disease after intestinal transplantation (IT) for short bowel syndrome should be taken into consideration when symptoms flare. • Magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging with "VENCH scoring system" can differentiate between cute cellular rejection (ACR) and disease recurrence in patients with Crohn's disease after IT. • Early detection of ACR or disease recurrence by the VENCH score allows prompt treatment accordingly and results in favorable outcomes Crohn disease (CD) is one of the most common causes of short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure. Intestinal transplantation (IT) is sometimes needed for patients with CD who develop intestinal failure after multiple intestinal resections resulting from CD-related complications, such as uncontrollable bleeding and penetrating diseases. However, there have been few case reports concerning the endoscopic surveillance of patients with CD after IT. In this article, we present 2 patients with CD who underwent IT because of short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure. We administered posttransplantation immunosuppressants and conducted regular follow-up magnifying endoscopy with narrow-band imaging (ME-NBI). Both cases demonstrated favorable outcomes after surveillance with ME-NBI. In this report, we outline our post-IT follow-up strategies applying the VENCH scoring system, which is based on endoscopic features using ME-NBI to predict graft rejection. Our approach could effectively distinguish between acute cellular rejection and non-rejection, particularly disease recurrence of underlying CD. This study was approved by the institutional review board of Far Eastern Memorial Hospital (FEMH-105023-F). The patients provided written informed consent for publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A robotic small bowel resection followed by Kono-S anastomosis was offered to the patient. Once we get close to finishing the posterior wall closing, we put in another stay stich that will be another 00 braided suture that is going to allow us to expose the area of the anastomosis that we are suturing at this moment. During the next step we will measure the diameter of the anastomosis, score the small bowel and confirm that the length of the scoring is around 7 cm. Scoring starts 1 cm to the end of the small bowel and finishes 7 cm proximal or distal to the starting point. [Extracted from the article]

Crohn's disease (CD) was the cause of SBS-IF in 72.7% of the patients in the CT in comparison to 20.1% of the patients in the RW study. To the Editor, Mizushima et al. recently published remarkable explorative data on the causes, treatment patterns and outcomes of short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure (SBS-IF) in Japanese adult patients [[1]]. Evaluation of economic burden with biologic treatments in Crohn's disease patients: a mirror image study using an insurance database in Japan. [Extracted from the article]

Background: The aim of this study was to clarify the risk and characteristics of intestinal failure (IF) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Methods: The present study was a retrospective study in 12 hospitals. CD patients who underwent initial surgery at any of the 12 hospitals between 1970 and 2009 were collected ( n = 1,703). Those who developed IF were reviewed ( n = 68), and the cumulative risk of IF was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. In addition, IF patients who underwent initial surgery at other hospitals and were then treated at any of the 12 hospitals were also reviewed ( n = 33). Thus, a total of 101 IF patients were collected, and the cumulative risk of IF-related death was analyzed. Results: The cumulative risk of IF after the initial surgery was 0.8 % (5 years), 3.6 % (10 years), 6.1 % (15 years), and 8.5 % (20 years). In CD patients with IF, mean age at initial surgery, IF occurrence, and present age at the time of the study were 28.2, 38.2, and 46.1 years, respectively. The mean number of surgeries per patient was 3.3. The mean length of the remnant small bowel was 163 cm. Twelve IF patients (12 %) had died and the cumulative risk of IF-related death by the time from the occurrence of IF was 1.1 % (3 years), 3.7 % (5 years), 6.5 % (7 years), and 8.9 % (10 years). Conclusion: The occurrence of IF and IF-related death in CD patients is not rare over the long term. There is a pressing need to develop strategies for the prevention and management of IF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The short bowel syndrome (SBS) can result from a variety of conditions, including postoperative complications and malignancy. Continence-preserving operations are generally performed for either ulcerative colitis (UC) or familial polyposis (FAP). These procedures can be associated with high morbidity and the potential for future malignancy. Our aim was to determine the causes and consequences of SBS in patients undergoing these procedures. Twenty-four patients (12 men and 12 women) 18 to 64 years of age were identified with SBS after continence-preserving procedures. Eighteen had pelvic procedures, and six had continent ileostomies. All SBS patients had a proximal ostomy. Remnant length measured <60 cm in five patients, 60-120 cm in ten patients, and >120 cm in nine patients. Overall 13 patients required long-term PN. Four FAP patients with desmoid tumors died. One patient with UC underwent intestinal transplant and expired. Follow-up ranges from 6 to 192 months. Overall 14 patients had UC, nine had FAP, and one had functional disease. Eight patients with an initial diagnosis of UC had subsequent Crohn's disease necessitating further resection and pouch excision. Eight patients (five with UC, two FAP, and one with functional disease) had postoperative complications, including obstruction or mesenteric ischemia requiring resections. One UC patient developed adenocarcinoma in a continent ileostomy. Seven of the nine FAP patients required resection for desmoid tumors. Six of these underwent resection alone. Three died at 10, 11, and 13 months after SBS from liver failure and sepsis while awaiting transplant. One patient has recurrent desmoid at 30 months, another is alive and well at 48 months, and the other patient, who was not a transplant candidate, died from an unrelated cardiac operation at 23 months. A single patient underwent resection with simultaneous multivisceral transplantation. SBS can develop after continence-preserving procedures. This occurs with inflammatory bowel disease when unsuspected Crohn's disease is present or complications occur. SBS related to desmoid tumors has a poor prognosis in patients undergoing resection alone. A more aggressive approach to intestinal transplantation in these patients may be warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In small bowel disease such as M. Crohn, the intestinal absorption of oxalate is in creased. Severe calcium oxalate deposition in multiple organs as consequence of enteric hyperoxaluria may lead to severe organ dysfunction and chronic renal failure. The management of hemodialyzed patients with short bowel syndrome may be associated with vascular access problems and oxalate in filtration of the bone marrow leading to pancytopenia. Al though the risk of recurrence of the disease is very high after renal transplantation, it may be the ultimate therapeutic alternative in secondary hyperoxaluria. Case: Here, we report a patient with enteric oxalosis due to Crohn's disease. He developed end stage renal disease, erythropoietin-resistant anemia, oxalate infiltration of the bone marrow and severe vascular access problems. Following high-urgency kidney transplantation, daily hemodiafiltration of 3 hours was performed for 2 weeks to increase oxalate clearance. Despite tubular and interstitial deposition of oxalate in the renal transplant, the patient did not require further hemodialysis and the hematocrit levels normalized. Discussion: Early treatment of hyperoxaluria due to short bowel syndrome is essential to prevent renal impairment. Declining renal function leads to a further increase in oxalate accumulation and consecutive oxalate deposition in the bone marrow or in the vascular wall. If alternative treatments such as special diet or daily hemodialysis are in sufficient, kidney transplantation may be a therapeutic alternative in severe cases of enteric oxalosis despite a possible recurrence of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE:: To describe body composition in patients with short bowel syndrome (SBS) by using bioelectric impedance spectroscopy (BIS), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements and anthropometrical-derived estimates. SUBJECTS:: In all, 19 patients were included, mean age 54?y, range 36-77 (F/M=11/8). Mean BMI was 21.5?kg/m2. Eight patients were on home parenteral nutrition (HPN). METHODS:: Total body water (TBW), intracellular water and extracellular water were assessed by BIS. TBW were derived from DXA. Fat-free mass (FFM) was assessed by BIS and DXA. TBW and FFM were predicted according to an empirical formula. Differences were analysed using the Bland-Altman method. RESULTS:: The mean difference between TBW (DXA) and TBW (BIS) was -1.1?l in women and -1.8?l in men. For FFM, the mean difference between FFM (DXA) and FFM (BIS) was -1.7?kg in women and -2.5?kg in men. The mean difference between TBW (DXA) and TBW (BIS) for all patients was -1.2?l and limits of agreement were (-7.80-5.40). Hydration of FFM assessed by BIS gave a mean of 0.75 (0.08). CONCLUSION:: The limits of agreement (Bland-Altman) between DXA and BIS were wide, indicating that methods are not interchangeable, which limits its clinical utility. Most of our patients with SBS were maintained in a stable clinical condition within normal limits of body weight and BMI. FFM and TBW did not appear to be altered in ileostomates or those on HPN. SPONSORSHIP:: The study was supported by grants from the Swedish Medical research Council (17X-03117), Göteborgs Läkarsällskap and IB and A Lundbergs forskningsstiftelse.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2004) 58, 853-859. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601886 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanisms by which patients with Crohn's disease develop intestinal failure and, in particular, to assess the relative importance of severe primary disease, repeated uncomplicated elective small intestine resection, and resection performed as a consequence of intra-abdominal septic surgical complications. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of 41 patients with Crohn's disease referred to a specialized intestinal failure unit between January 1987 and September 1998 for permanent home parenteral nutrition. To compare the surgical activity in patient groups, a resection index was calculated by dividing the number of intestinal resections by the interval in years between the first resection for Crohn's disease and referral for management of intestinal failure. RESULTS: Extensive primary Crohn's disease was responsible for intestinal failure in 7 cases (17 percent). The remainder (n = 34. 83 percent) developed intestinal failure after intestinal resection. Nine of the "surgical" Crohn's patients developed intestinal failure after uncomplicated sequential resection, (median small-bowel length 65 (range, 60-120) cm) after a median of 3 (range, 2-8) operations over a median of 17 (range, 3-27) years. By contrast, the other 25 surgical Crohn's patients developed intestinal failure after multiple unplanned laparotomies for intra-abdominal sepsis (median small-bowel length 70 (range, 60-200) cm), with a median of 4 (range, 2-7) laparotomies performed over a median of 0.5 (range, 0.1 to 1.5) years (P < 0.001). The resection index for the 25 Crohn's patients undergoing laparotomies for intra-abdominal sepsis was significantly greater than that of the 9 patients who had planned sequential resections (2.1 (0.27-25) vs. 0.23 (0.1-1.0); P < 0.002, Mann-Whitney U test). CONCLUSION: Intestinal failure develops in Crohn's disease primarily as a result of complications of surgical treatment. The largest group of patients at risk consists of those who are undergoing multiple unplanned laparotomies to control intra-abdominal sepsis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]