MicroPouch_NP. Faecal Microbiota Transplantation from a Healthy Pouch Donor for Chronic Pouchitis: The first Proof-of-Concept Study

Pouchitis is the most common long-term complication following ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) in the surgical treatment of medically refractory ulcerative colitis (UC), with an incidence reported up to 59% in Western countries. Chronic pouchitis presents a challenge for treatment, often leading to surgical removal of the IPAA due to pouch failure. An altered gut microbiota has been associated with IPAA patients with pouchitis compared to those without inflammation. While faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been explored as a treatment for chronic pouchitis in several studies, randomised placebo-controlled trials have not shown a significant benefit of FMT over placebo.6 All studies investigating FMT for pouchitis have utilized a healthy faecal donor with an intact colon. The objective of this proof-of-concept study was to assess the safety, efficacy and microbiome changes of using FMT from a patient with a normal functioning IPAA as a donor in inducing remission in patients with chronic pouchitis.