ABSTRACT
Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a multisystemic disorder, which can occur as an outcome of trauma, volvulus, necrotizing enterocolitis, vascular occlusion, neoplastic diseases, congenital disorders, and inammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn’s disease (CD), and ulcerative colitis (UC). While each of the aforementioned may necessitate surgical intervention resulting in SBS, we focus here on SBS following surgical intervention in the CD patient. This chapter will discuss the pathophysiological consequences and management considerations of SBS, and will also introduce novel complimentary nutrition and nutraceutical applications relevant to CD that allow for a signicantly higher adaptive function. The principal author (MG) has lived the life cycle of SBS for 51 years, commencing at age 26. This was the result of multiple resections owing to extensive CD, which began in his early teenage years. Surgical intervention was of necessity, as the extent of the disease became life threatening. It is interesting to consider how different this course might have been, given what we now know about the importance of diet and nutritional supplementation in the management of CD. In reading this chapter, it is critical to bear in mind that the underlying genetic and epigenetic factors that precipitate development of CD remain, despite surgical interventions resulting in SBS. As such, it is essential for clinicians to remember that these are patients with <200 cm of small bowel who also have a chronic inammatory disease.
