Recent research has shown that the supply of nutrients to the lining of the gastrointestinal tract can have a significant effect on the growth of the cells lining the gut and on the motility as a whole. Many of these effects are mediated by intestinal growth factors such and glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2) and gut hormones such as cholecystokinin (CCK) and peptide YY (YYY. Although no studies have been performed looking at the levels of growth factors and gut hormones in patients with enterocutaneous fistulae, it seems theoretically likely that the route of nutrition in these patients will have an effect on the levels of these intestinal growth factors and gut hormones. This in turn may have effect on fistula healing and fistula output. Modulation of the levels of these growth factors and gut hormones may provide new therapeutic options in the future management of enterocutaneous fistulae.