ENDORECTAL PULL-THROUGH OF TRANSPLANTED COLON AS PART OF INTESTINAL TRANSPLANTATION

Background. Two children with life-threatening disorders underwent int estinal transplantation; one multivisceral transplantation excluding t he liver, and the second transplantation of the liver, small bowel, an d colon. Methods. Involvement of the native rectum necessitated resect ion and replacement with the transplanted allograft. To prevent a perm anent colostomy, a pull-through of the allograft colon was performed. Results. Both patients had a stormy early postoperative course, mainly because of the complexities of intestinal transplantation, but with e ventual recovery, including improvement of rectal function. Conclusion s. These are the first two known cases in which a transplanted large i ntestine was used for a pull-through procedure.