The OASIS Registry started annual collection of longitudinal data on patients on home parenteral nutrition (HPN) in 1984. This report describes outcome profiles on 1594 HPN patients in seven disease categories. Analysis showed clinical outcome was principally a reflection of the underlying diagnosis. Patients with Crohn's disease, ischemic bowel disease, motility disorders, radiation enteritis, and congenital bowel dysfunction all had a fairly long-term clinical outcome, whereas those with active cancer and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) had a short-term outcome. The long-term group had a 3-year survival rate of 65 to 80%, they averaged 2.6 complications requiring hospitalization per year, and 49% experienced complete rehabilitation. The short-term group had a mean survival of 6 months; they averaged 4.6 complications per year and about 15% experienced complete rehabilitation. The registry data also indicated HPN was used for 19,700 patients in 1987 with therapy growth averaging about 8% per year. This growth was chiefly from new cancer patients. The number of new patients with long-term disorders in whom HPN was initiated appeared rather constant. We conclude that these clinical outcome assessments justify HPN for long-term patients, but the utility and appropriateness of HPN for the cancer and AIDS patients remains uncertain and requires further study. Medical, social, and fiscal aspects of HPN management in long-term and short-term patients appear to involve quite separate considerations.