Intestinal lengthening and growth hormone in extreme short bowel syndrome: a case report

Abstract

Recombinant growth hormone (GH) has been used successfully to promote mucosal intestinal adaptation in adults with short bowel syndrome. Here the authors report the case of an infant with extreme short bowel syndrome successfully treated with intestinal lengthening and GH. The patient was born with intestinal atresia leaving only 12 cm of jejunum and 2 cm of ileum with ileocecal valve. A Bianchi procedure extended the length to 25 cm, but 6 months later she still received 50% of her nutritional requirements by parenteral route. A 4-week course of 0.5 U/kg of GH dramatically changed the situation allowing weaning of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) 2 weeks after the end of the treatment with striking nutritional improvement, decrease in the number of stools from 7 to 2 per day, and no secondary effects. The authors believe that GH deserves clinical trial in cases of extreme short bowel.