Intestino corto: de la resección al trasplante.

Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is characterized by a significant reduction in the effective intestinal surface by an anatomical or functional loss of the small intestine. It mainly occurs after extensive bowel resection, intestinal intrinsic disease or surgical bypass. The main complications are malabsorption, maldigestion, malnutrition, dehydratation y, potentially, lethal metabolic lesions. The treatment is based on appropiate, individualized nutritional support; however, the most recent outcomes on bowel transplantation (BT) and a great rate of survivors achieving complete digestive autonomy and able to carry out activities according to theirage allow for considering BT as the first choice therapy in patients with irreversible intestinal failure in whom poor prognosis with parenteral nutrition is foreseen. In this paper the most outstanding aspects of SBS are revised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]