Radiologic features of pancreatic and biliary complications following composite visceral transplantation

Abstract

Small bowel transplantation is a surgical technique reserved for patients with end-stage intestinal failure. Despite its inherent technical difficulties, it has emerged as the standard of care for these patients. This article reviews the background and different surgical techniques for this procedure and then fully describes the spectrum of imaging findings of pancreatic and biliary complications, which have a prevalence of up to 17%, after this procedure based on 23-year single-center experience. The pancreaticobiliary complications encountered in our experience and discussed in this article include: ampullary stenosis, biliary cast, choledocholithiasis, bile leak, recurrent cholangitis, acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis, and pancreatic duct fistula. Familiarity with the broad spectrum of PB complications and their variable manifestations will help radiologists to accurately diagnose these complications which have relatively high morbidity and mortality in these immune-compromised patients.