Current Challenges and New Strategies in Pediatric Short Bowel Syndrome: Focus on Surgical Aspects and Prevention of Complications.

Abstract

Background: The medical management and non-transplant surgical options for children with short bowel syndrome (SBS)are maximized as first-line treatments. The purpose of this review is to summarize the currently available evidence and new management strategies in children with SBS. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted on data from the last four years, focusing on both the effectiveness and safety of intestinal lengthening procedures, as well as frameworks for the prevention of complications and the achievement of enteral autonomy. Results: Of 546 abstracts that were screened, a total of 27 relevant full-text articles published between 2021 and 2025 were reviewed. The literature that was review showed that, over the past four years, the most commonly used lengthening procedure was serial transverse enteroplasty (STEP), which resulted in a 50-70% increase in bowel length, a decrease in PN dependency in most cases, and weaning off PN in 42-73% of patients. The longitudinal intestinal lengthening technique (LILT) has been used less frequently, allowing a similar 70% increase in small bowel length and 32-52% of patients to wean off PN, but with a higher mortality rate. The main reasons for surgery in patients with SBS patients were the inability to wean off PN, intestinal dysmotility, and bacterial overgrowth. Over the last decade, several new techniques-such as induced intestinal lengthening, distraction enterogenesis, ileal lengthening through internal distraction, and double-barrel enteroplasty-have been described as options for the treatment of a limited bowel length and less invasive modalities. Conclusions: Autologous gastrointestinal reconstructive surgery, as a part of multidisciplinary management, remains vital for managing children with SBS.