2018 Volume 33 Issue 3 Pages 881-887
Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the clinical utility of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to children with severe refractory UC.
Patients and methods: A single-center, descriptive study was undertaken between August 2015 and July 2017 at Okinawa Chubu Hospital. FMT was performed in four patients with refractory UC (2–14 years old) who had not responded to infliximab, cyclosporin, tacrolimus, or leukocytapheresis. Three of the patients were administered the FMT via elemental diet tubes, whereas the fourth received the FMT via colonoscopy. The following variables were evaluated using the patients' medical records: age, medication history, route of FMT administration, clinical course, PUCAI (Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index) scores and FMT's complications.
Results: One patient experienced clinical remission for 24 months, and two patients experienced clinical remission for a few weeks. No severe complications occurred.
Conclusion: FMT appears to be safe for children with severe refractory UC. FMT may have utility as a temporizing induction therapy for severe refractory UC prior to the ultimately necessary step of surgery.
