Intestinal Transplant Expertise for the Most Complex Children
National Expertise in a Highly Specialized Field
Pediatric intestinal transplantation is one of the most specialized areas of pediatric medicine. Cincinnati Children’s is one of the few centers in the country offering pediatric intestinal transplantation, caring for children from across the United States and beyond.
Our Gastroenterology and GI surgery programs are ranked No. 2 nationally in the 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals rankings.
Expertise isn't only about performing complex transplants. It's also about knowing when another approach may be better.
Preserving Your Child’s Own Intestine Whenever Possible
For some children with intestinal failure, the best transplant is the one they don’t need yet.
Our Intestinal Rehabilitation and Intestinal Transplant programs work closely together to evaluate whether additional rehabilitation may allow your child to continue using their native intestine safely.
When transplant is the best option, we offer:
- Isolated intestinal transplant
- Combined liver and small bowel transplant
- Multivisceral transplant
- Personalized post-transplant immunosuppression
Our team is also studying KiteLock™ therapy through a clinical trial to help prevent central line occlusions and infections. Protecting central venous access may give some children more time for intestinal rehabilitation.
Our goal is the best possible long-term future for your child.
A Team Built Around Your Child
Children with intestinal failure often have needs that extend far beyond the intestine.
Our multidisciplinary team brings together expertise from intestinal rehabilitation, transplant, pediatric surgery, interventional radiology, pathology, pharmacy and nutrition.
Your dedicated transplant coordinator serves as a consistent point of contact, helping gather outside medical records, imaging and pathology and assisting with insurance approval and coordination before and after transplant.
That means fewer disconnected pieces and a team looking at the whole child, together.
Expert Care for Wherever You Call Home
Families travel to Cincinnati Children’s from across the country and beyond for intestinal transplant care. About one-third of the program’s patients come from outside the United States or beyond the Midwest.
For families traveling long distances, our travel coordinators can help with the practical challenges of receiving complex care away from home, including support for families facing financial or other barriers to travel.
Not Sure Whether Your Child Needs a Transplant? Start with a Second Opinion
You don't need to have all the answers before contacting us.
Families can self-refer for an intestinal transplant evaluation. Our team can review your child’s medical records, imaging and pathology and help determine the most appropriate next step. That may be an outpatient consultation, further intestinal rehabilitation or a comprehensive transplant evaluation.
Sometimes the most important outcome of a transplant evaluation is discovering that transplant isn’t the next step.
