[Long term feeding with a chemically defined diet].

The author reports the successful treatment with Vivasorb, the bulk-free, balanced synthetic diet, of patients with severe forms of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, indigenous sprue and condition after small bowel resection, and of one patient with a Cronkhite Canada syndrome. The duration of the treatment was from a few weeks to 34 months. The patients received between 320 and 640 g/day, according to their requirements and their tolerance. Because of the relatively low content of essential fatty acids, long-term exclusive administration of Vivasorb may lead to symptoms of essential fatty acid deficiency, which disappear after the administration of Lipofundin S. The successful treatment of patients with malabsorption syndrome was verified histologically. Particles of mucosa taken from different small bowel sections showed the development of villi after only four weeks of treatment, whereas, before the treatment, subtotal villi atrophy had been observed.