Other bowel treatment options


A bowel transplant might not be the best option for you. Not all patients with severe bowel disease are suitable for bowel transplantation.

Key points

  • Not all patients with severe bowel disease are suitable for bowel transplantation
  • Due to the risks involved a bowel transplant is only an option for carefully selected patients
  • Other forms of surgery or treatments to control your symptoms may be your best option
  • Talk to your doctor about the right treatment for you


As part of your assessment for transplantation, the team will also look at other possible treatment options. These could either mean avoiding a transplant or delaying the need for it.

Why you might not be able to have a bowel transplant

A bowel transplant may not be the right treatment for you if:

  • you are too ill or frail to cope with the surgery and aftercare
  • you have recently had cancer, a serious infection, a heart attack or a stroke
  • you may struggle taking the immunosuppressant medicine after the transplant
  • it is too early to consider a transplant and it may be better to monitor your condition closely and reconsider if anything changes
  • other treatment options might be better for you

Other treatment options

Sometimes it's better or safer to have other treatments. These include:

  • Continuing with intravenous feeding. This may involve the opening up or surgical reconstruction of the blood vessels
  • Other forms of bowel surgery to improve bowel function
  • Other medical and nutritional treatments to improve bowel function


If you are not having a transplant, you will continue to have follow ups and medical care in your intestinal failure centre.

If a transplant is not an option in the future, it may be helpful to have discussions with your referring team about supportive treatments. These focus on managing symptoms and planning for the future if your health were to deteriorate. 

Planning for the future

Even if you are listed for a bowel transplant, it is often useful to have conversations regarding your plans for the future. These plans should consider your options if your health were to deteriorate and a transplant was not available.

This is a concept known as 'parallel planning'. Hoping for the best but preparing and planning for the worst .