Comparable outcomes in intestinal retransplantation: Single-center cohort study

Adult Only Intestinal Retransplant Is Associated With Higher Rates of Graft Failure, Acute Rejection, and Mortality: A United Network for Organ Sharing Database Analysis

OBJECTIVES

Adult intestinal retransplant has increased substantially during the past decade, outpacing the rate of primary transplants to become the fourth most common reason for intestinal transplant. Although intestinal retransplant is a viable option for patients with failed transplants, long-term survival is often lower. We compared intestinal retransplant to primary intestinal transplant for rates of graft failure, acute rejection, and mortality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We collected data from the United Network for Organ Sharing database for intestinal retransplant and first-time intestinal transplant for the period from 2010 to 2024. We compared recipient and deceased donor characteristics of primary intestinal transplant alone and intestinal retransplant via Pearson chi-square tests. We contrasted graft failure, mortality, and acute rejection by using log-rank tests, multivariate Cox analysis, and logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

We selected 741 patients; 60 (8.1%) were intestinal retransplant recipients. On log-rank tests, intestinal retransplant showed 20% higher rate of graft failure and mortality after 5 years (P < .001). Regression analysis showed that retransplant was associated with 61% higher rate of graft failure (hazard ratio = 1.615, P = .002), 107% higher rate of acute rejection (odds ratio = 2.072, P = .049), and an 82% increase in mortality (hazard ratio = 1.823, P < .001). No associations between sex, race and ethnicity, or induction or maintenance regimens and graft failure or mortality for intestinal retransplant were shown.

CONCLUSIONS

Adult intestinal retransplant was associated with higher rates of graft failure related to rejection and infection, and retransplant status was associated with higher rates of graft failure and mortality. No associations between different regimens of induction or maintenance and graft failure or mortality were shown. Race/ethnicity and sex did not affect graft failure or mortality. Further research of intestinal retransplant will improve knowledge of risk factors associated with negative outcomes.

Intestinal Re-Transplantation

The history of intestinal transplantation can be traced back to the turn of the twentieth century. Although advancements have been made, the intestine still presents a greater challenge to transplantation than does that of other solid organs, experiencing higher rates of graft rejection and lower long-term survival. Increasingly, intestinal re-transplantation (re-ITx) is seen as a viable option and is now the fourth most common indication for ITx. Changes to immunosuppression protocols, technical modifications, and infectious disease monitoring have contributed to improved outcomes. The authors review the literature on re-ITx in regard to the history, management considerations, and future directions.

Update on Maintenance Immunosuppression in Intestinal Transplantation

Outcomes in intestinal transplantation remain hampered by higher rates of rejection than any other solid organs. However, maintenance immunosuppression regimens have largely remained unchanged despite advances in therapies for induction and treatment of rejection and graft-versus-host disease. Recently, there have been a small number of new maintenance therapies attempted, and older agents have been used in new ways to achieve better outcomes. The authors herein review the traditional maintenance therapies and their mechanisms and then consider updates in new therapies and new ways of using old therapies for maintenance immunosuppression after intestinal transplantation.

Indications for Intestinal Transplantation

Outcomes for patients with chronic intestinal failure have improved with organization of experts into multidisciplinary teams delivering care in intestinal rehabilitation programs. There have been improvements in understanding of intestinal failure complications as well as development of newer therapies that have amplified the improvements in survival. In spite of this encouraging trend, patients who fail PN are often referred too late for intestinal transplantation. The author proposes a more rational framework that might allow earlier identification of intestinal failure patients at risk for PN-failure, who could appropriately be considered earlier for intestinal transplantation with improvements in overall outcomes.

Intestinal and Multivisceral Transplantation: Complications

Advancements in immunosuppression protocols, surgical techniques, and postoperative care in the last few decades have improved outcomes of intestinal transplant patients. Normal immediate postoperative imaging appearance can simulate pathology. Intestinal transplant recipients are prone for several postoperative complications due to the complex surgical technique, which involves multiple anastomoses, and immunogenic nature of the allograft intestine. Imaging plays a crucial role in detection of several major complications including infectious, immunologic, vascular, gastrointestinal, pancreaticobiliary, genitourinary, and neoplastic complications. The awareness of the posttransplant anatomy and normal imaging appearances helps radiologists anticipate and accurately detect posttransplant complications.

Pediatric intestine and multivisceral transplant

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Intestinal and multivisceral transplantation (ITx, MVTx) is the cornerstone in treatment of irreversible intestinal failure (IF) and complications related to parenteral nutrition. This review aims to highlight the unique aspects of the subject in pediatrics.

RECENT FINDINGS

Etiology of intestinal failure (IF) in children shares some similarity with adults but several unique considerations when being evaluated for transplantation will be discussed. Owing to significant advancement in IF management and home parenteral nutrition (PN), indication criteria for pediatric transplantation continues to be updated. Outcomes have continued to improve with current long-term patient and graft survival in multicenter registry reports reported at 66.1% and 48.8% at 5 years, respectively. Pediatric specific surgical challenges such abdominal closure, post transplantation outcomes, and quality of life are discussed in this review.

SUMMARY

ITx and MVTx remain lifesaving treatment for many children with IF. However long-term graft function is still a major challenge.

Intestinal organoids: roadmap to the clinic

Recent advances in intestinal organoid research, along with encouraging preclinical proof-of-concept studies, have revealed significant therapeutic potential for induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived organoids in the healing and replacement of severely injured or diseased bowel (Finkbeiner et al. Biol Open 4: 1462-1472, 2015; Kitano et al. Nat Commun 8: 765, 2017; Cruz-Acuna et al. Nat Cell Biol 19: 1326-1335, 2017). To fully realize the tremendous promise of stem cell organoid-based therapies, careful planning aligned with significant resources and efforts must be devoted demonstrating their safety and efficacy to meet critical regulatory requirements. Early recognition of the inherent preclinical and clinical obstacles that occur with the novel use of pluripotent stem cell-derived products will accelerate their bench-to-bedside translation (Neofytou et al. J Clin Invest 125: 2551-2557, 2015; O'Brien et al. Stem Cell Res Ther 6: 146, 2015; Ouseph et al. Cytotherapy 17: 339-343, 2015). To overcome many of these hurdles, a close and effective collaboration is needed between experts from various disciplines, including basic and clinical research, product development and manufacturing, quality assurance and control, and regulatory affairs. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to outline the critical areas and challenges that must be addressed when transitioning laboratory-based discovery, through an investigational new drug (IND) application to first-in-human clinical trial, and to encourage investigators to consider the required regulatory steps from the earliest stage of the translational process. The ultimate goal is to provide readers with a draft roadmap that they could use while navigating this exciting cell therapy space.

Long-term outcomes of intestinal transplantation

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

In this article, data from the intestinal transplant registry, recent publications and reviews in the field will be used to describe mortality, morbidity, complications, nutritional and psychosocial outcomes in intestinal transplant recipients with a focus on those furthest out from transplant.

RECENT FINDINGS

Registry data show static long-term survival data (41% 10-year survival in the most recent analysis), but experienced centres report improvements with survival between 60 and 70% at 10 years. Chronic rejection remains a problem for long-term graft survival, but understanding of humoral immunity is increasing. Nutritional outcomes are good with most recipients achieving enteral autonomy with an unrestricted diet. Health-related quality of life data generally shows improvement in the years after transplant, educational attainment is good, but some patients have ongoing psychosocial problems.

SUMMARY

Most patients do well in the long-term after transplant. Survival outcomes have improved in experienced centres, and nutrition and quality of life outcomes are good. Recognition of psychosocial outcomes is increasing. Nevertheless, challenges remain in areas such as infectious complications, renal function, chronic rejection, social support and mental health.

Complex Abdominal Wound Healing After Multivisceral Retransplant: A Case Report on the Importance of Nutrition

BACKGROUND

Intestinal transplantation (ITx) is performed as an isolated ITx or as a part of multivisceral transplantation for intestinal failure secondary to short gut syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, trauma, and sequelae of chronic parenteral nutrition dependence. Wound complications after ITx are very common, and abdominal wound closure cannot be immediately achieved in half of cases.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 25-year-old man sustained an abdominal crush injury causing complete loss of his small intestine, requiring an isolated ITx in March 2016. He lost his graft because of early exfoliative rejection in November 2016. Five months after enterectomy and the immunosuppression-free period, he underwent multivisceral retransplantation in April 2017. His post-transplant course was complicated by wound healing problems that improved with treatment of his malnutrition, quantified by increasing albumin, total protein, prealbumin, weight, body mass index, and total psoas muscle area over a period of 19 months after retransplant.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first case described of long-term wound follow-up after a multivisceral (re)transplantation, with corresponding nutrition information and images of the wound.

Beyond 10 years, with or without an intestinal graft: Present and future?

Long-term outcomes in children undergoing intestinal transplantation remain unclear. Seventy-one children underwent intestinal transplantation in our center from 1989 to 2007. We report on 10-year posttransplant outcomes with (group 1, n = 26) and without (group 2, n = 9) a functional graft. Ten-year patient and graft survival rates were 53% and 36%, respectively. Most patients were studying or working, one third having psychiatric disorders. All patients in group 1 were weaned off parenteral nutrition with mostly normal physical growth and subnormal energy absorption. Graft histology from 15 late biopsies showed minimal abnormality. However, micronutrient deficiencies and fat malabsorption were frequent; biliary complications occurred in 4 patients among the 17 who underwent liver transplantation; median renal clearance was 87 mL/min/1.73 m² . Four patients in group 1 experienced late acute rejection. Among the 9 patients in group 2, 4 died after 10 years and 2 developed significant liver fibrosis. Liver transplantation and the use of a 3-drug regimen including sirolimus or mycophenolate mofetil were associated with improved graft survival. Therefore, intestinal transplantation may enable a satisfactory digestive function in the long term. The prognosis of graft removal without retransplantation is better than expected. Regular monitoring of micronutrients, early psychological assessment, and use of sirolimus are recommended.