Favorable nutritional outcome after isolated liver transplantation for liver failure in a child with short bowel syndrome

A patient with short gut syndrome presented with end-stage liver disease. She underwent an isolated liver transplantation at the age of 3.5 years. Parenteral nutrition was discontinued 1.5 years after surgery. At 7 years of age, the patient has maintained normal nutritional indices and growth while on a normal oral diet. This observation suggests that liver transplantation alone can be a valuable alternative to the combined small bowel/liver transplantation in short bowel syndrome when intestinal adaptation is expected and if the ileocecal valve is present and that improvement of gut function can occur after successful liver transplantation.