Intestinal failure occurs when a child's intestines can't digest food and absorb the fluids, electrolytes and nutrients essential to live and to grow and develop normally. The most common cause is short bowel syndrome, a problem affecting people who have had half or more of their small intestine removed to treat conditions such as trauma or necrotizing enterocolitis. Intestinal failure may also be caused by digestive disorders, such as Crohn's disease or chronic idiopathic intestinal pseudoobstruction syndrome, which causes the bowel to malfunction.
Children with intestinal failure may receive all or most of their nutrients and calories intravenously through total parenteral nutrition, or TPN. TPN is given through a catheter placed in the arm, groin, neck or chest. Patients on TPN may live for many years, but long-term use of TPN can result in serious complications, such as bone disorders, central venous catheter infections and liver disease. At the UCSF Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplantation Program, our goal is to restore your child's intestinal function to minimize and ultimately eliminate the need for TPN. Unfortunately, not every child can be weaned from TPN. In these cases, we work to optimize the use of TPN and decrease the risk of complications.
Conditions that cause intestinal failure in children include:
Children with intestinal failure must complete an evaluation process before entering the UCSF Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplantation Program. Our team reviews each child's complete medical history, including the primary diagnosis, previous surgeries and treatments and current nutritional status, to determine whether the child will benefit from intestinal rehabilitation.
The evaluation process includes:
The type and length of treatment differs for each case, depending on the child's needs and goals. Some of the treatments include:
Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital.
Last updated
June 17, 2010
Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplantation Program
400 Parnassus Ave., 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (877) 762-6935
Appointment information