[Status of organ transplantation of the kidney, liver and small intestine: aspects of biological and artificial organ replacement].

Substitution of all functions of an organ failure is characteristic for organ transplantation, whilst artificial organ supply is confined to some essential functions. But technical organ substitution would be unlimited in performance, in contrast to organ transplantation, which depends on availability of human organs. Thus, according to the example in substitution of renal failure, those, organ transplantation and technical organ supply have to be worked out furthermore in other organ systems, thus in liver and small intestine substitution. In future, technical supply will change to biotechnical methods and organ grafting will develop to a long lasting therapeutic procedure.