§ Dr. FoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on developing and extending the availability of small bowel transplantation. [27349]
§ Yvette CooperWe recognise this is a very important national service and good progress has been made in making it available to those who might benefit from the procedure. Both adult and paediatric small bowel transplantation services have been designated by the National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group and national centres identified since April 1997.
No transplants were performed before this date. In the case of children, 14 transplants have now been performed. In the case of adults, a number of patients have been assessed but to date transplantation has not been the preferred option for their care.