Short bowel syndrome is associated with significant comorbidities and mortality. This study is important as unlike current systems, it provides a validated piglet model which mirrors anatomical, histological, and serological characteristics observed in human SBS. This model can be used to advance knowledge into mechanistic pathways and therapeutic modalities to improve outcomes for SBS patients. This study is novel in that in addition to significant reduction in the remnant bowel and noted liver disease, we also developed a method to emulate ileocecal valve resection and described gut adaptive responses which has important clinical implications in humans.
Keywords: Short bowel syndrome; animal model; bowel resection; ileocecal valve resection; intestinal failure; intestinal failure-associated liver disease; piglet model.