A small bowel (or intestinal) transplant surgery is when a diseased or shortened small bowel is replaced with a healthy small bowel from a donor. It is a treatment option for children and adults with intestinal failure who are being fed by TPN (total parenteral nutrition, where liquid nutrition is fed intravenously) and either develop complications or are unable to tolerate it.
After receiving an intestinal transplant, patients can be moved from TPN to a normal diet fed through the mouth.
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