Endorectal pull-through of transplanted colon as part of intestinal transplantation.

BACKGROUND Two children with life-threatening disorders underwent intestinal transplantation; one multivisceral transplantation excluding the liver, and the second transplantation of the liver, small bowel, and colon. METHODS Involvement of the native rectum necessitated resection and replacement with the transplanted allograft. To prevent a permanent 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 eventual recovery, including improvement of rectal function. CONCLUSIONS These are the first two known cases in which a transplanted large intestine was used for a pull-through procedure.