ABSTRACT
The term intestinal failure was initially coined by Milewski et al. [1]. In an initial attempt to standardize the de—nition of intestinal failure, both anatomical (length of residual small intestine) and functional measures were proposed as diagnostic criteria for this disorder. Intestinal failure has more recently been de—ned as the presence of functional gut mass less than the minimal amount necessary for adequate absorption to meet nutrient and «uid requirements for maintenance in adults and growth in children [2,3]. Intestinal failure can be due to anatomical or functional loss of gut mucosal absorptive surface area, as seen in short bowel syndrome (SBS) following massive small bowel ± colonic resection, the most common cause of intestinal failure in multiple series [4-9]. Intestinal failure can also be due to a variety of congenital anomalies (e.g., microvillus inclusion disease, intestinal epithelial dysplasia, intestinal atresia), mucosal diseases (e.g., in«ammatory bowel disease, severe villous atrophy), dysmotility disorders (e.g., pseudo-obstruction), severe maldigestive disorders, and a variety of other conditions, independent of bowel resection or length of residual bowel [1-9].
