Small Bowel Transplant - Advancements at Cleveland Clinic's Transplant Center

About the Physician

Cristiano Quintini, M.D., is the Surgical Director of the Intestinal Transplant Program and part of the Liver Transplant Team within the Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Quintini is involved in research for small-for-size living donor liver transplantation and intestinal failure as well as intra-abdominal desmoid tumors.

Dr. Quintini received his medical degree from the Universita' degli Studi di Bologna in Bologna, Italy. He completed a residency in the General Surgery Residency Program at Universita' di Modena e Reggio Emilia in Modena, Italy.
Dr. Quintini then received a fellowship from the University of Miami in abdominal transplant surgery, which he completed at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Fla. Dr. Quintini also completed an advanced fellowship in living donor liver transplantation, which he received from Cleveland Clinic.

In January 2008, staff at the Cleveland Clinic Transplant Center started a small bowel transplant program, making it the only transplant center in Ohio and among a handful in the nation to offer adult small bowel transplantation. Candidates for surgery typically suffer from motility problems, inflammatory bowel disease, post-operative malabsorption issues, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or the presence of desmoid tumors -- tumors that are benign but, due to their growth, can obstruct the bowel. According to Cristiano Quintini, M.D., Surgical Director of Cleveland Clinic's Intestinal Transplant Program, "a small bowel transplant offers patients who are dependent on total parenteral nutrition (TPN) an opportunity to eat normally, often within a week of surgery."

Cleveland Clinic's renowned Intestinal Rehabilitation Program, one of the largest in the world, enables patients with compromised small bowel function to be identified and considered for transplantation while the potential for a successful outcome remains high. "Timing is crucial in small bowel transplantation," Dr. Quintini adds. "And, because long-term TPN damages the liver, we often transplant both the liver and small intestine at the same time." The Cleveland Clinic Intestinal Rehabilitation Program and Nutrition Support programs are among the largest in the world providing treatment for intestinal failure. The establishment of an integrated intestinal rehabilitation and transplantation program provides patients with a unique opportunity to be evaluated, supported and treated by a world class team of medical and surgical specialists in gastrointestinal diseases, PN experts and transplant surgeons in a comprehensive coordinated facility - The Cleveland Clinic Digestive Disease Institute.

Cleveland Clinic has been ranked for years by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top two hospitals in treating digestive diseases. The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) recognizes Cleveland Clinic as a center of excellence in nutrition support. The Digestive Disease Institute offers patients with many types of illnesses affecting the gastrointestinal system a comprehensive "one stop service" that includes diagnostic tools, medical treatment, nutrition support and surgical treatment when indicated.

For more information about Cleveland Clinic's Intestinal Rehabilitation and Transplant Program, please call 216.444.2394 or visit our website.