Organ preservation injury in small bowel transplantation.

Histological features of preservation injury were studied in a dog model of total small bowel transplantation. It was remarkable that substantial microscopic injury was evident during cold ischemia, unlike in other organ systems. This was early in onset and was related to the duration of cold storage. There was further progression of injury during reperfusion, as expected. Nevertheless, the small bowel was noted to have substantial ability to recover from this storage- and reperfusion-related injury. Histological features of damage and recovery are described in detail.