Protective effect of intraluminal fecal diverting device against colonic wall erosion induced by wrapping bands: A post-hoc pathological analysis

Objectives

Materials wrapping the bowel elicits tissue erosion gradually. We experienced several bowel wall erosions with no serious clinical consequences in our two previous animal experiments aimed at the safety and efficacy of the COLO-BT developed for intra-luminal fecal diversion. We tried to find out why the erosion is safe by investigating histologic changes of the tissue.

Material and Methods

Tissue slides at the COLO-BT fixing area from the subjects which had COLO-BT over three weeks acquired from our two previous animal experiments were reviewed. For the classification of the histologic change, microscopic findings were classified for six stages (from minimal change of stage 1 to severe change of stage 6).

Results

A total of 26 slides of 45 subjects were reviewed in this study. Five subjects (19.2%) had stage 6 histological change; three of stage 1 (11.5%), four of stage 2 (15.4%), six of stage 3 (23.1%), three of stage 4 (11.5%), and five of stage 5 (19.2%). All subjects which had a stage 6 histologic change survived. The phenomenon from which the back of the band is passed through is replaced by a relatively stable tissue layer due to fibrosis of the necrotic cells in the stage 6 histologic change.

Conclusion

We found that thanks to the sealing effect of the newly replaced layer, no leakage of the intestinal content occurs even if perforation by erosion develops according to this histologic tissue evaluation.

Two-year follow-up results of the use of a fecal diverting device as a substitute for a defunctioning stoma

PURPOSE

Our previously published clinical studies described the short-term outcomes of a newly developed intraluminal fecal diverting device (FDD). FDD was a safe and effective substitute for a defunctioning stoma. However, the long-term efficacy and safety of this device remain unknown. We investigated the long-term outcomes of the use of the FDD as a substitute for a defunctioning stoma.

METHODS

We examined the medical records of patients who participated in our two previous FDD clinical studies. The main outcome was the number of patients with bowel continuity for 2 years after undergoing the FDD procedure or defunctioning stoma creation.

RESULTS

Between May 2015 and July 2018, 85 patients were screened for inclusion in this study. Of those, 27 patients underwent a defunctioning ileostomy after proctectomy. The remaining 58 underwent the FDD procedure after proctectomy. Seventy-two patients (ileostomy group, n = 22; FDD group, n = 50) with a follow-up duration > 24 months were included in this analysis. The mean duration of fecal diversion was significantly shorter (p < 0.001) in the FDD group (3.1 [1.6-6.1] weeks) than in the ileostomy group (16.7 [10.0-31.6] weeks). However, the rate of permanent stoma creation was not statistically different between the two groups (ileostomy and FDD groups, 13.6% [3/22] and 10.0% [5/50], respectively; p = 0.693).

CONCLUSIONS

The FDD procedure is a feasible substitute for a defunctioning stoma after proctectomy. Multicenter large-scaled clinical studies are required to validate our results.

Intraluminal bypass devices as an alternative to protective ostomy for prevention of colorectal anastomotic leakage: a systematic review of the literature

AIM

Anastomotic leakage (AL) is the most important complication of colorectal surgery, leading to high morbidity and mortality. Protective ostomy, the current standard of care for protecting a colorectal anastomosis, has important drawbacks that require the creation of an alternative strategy. Over the past 30 years, several intraluminal bypass devices, designed to shield the anastomosis from the faecal stream, have been developed. The aim of this literature review was to create an updated overview of the devices available and their effectiveness in preventing AL, and to investigate whether they could serve as an alternative to protective ostomy in the future.

METHOD

A systematic review of the literature on intraluminal bypass devices used for preventing colorectal AL was performed. The MEDLINE and Cochrane Library databases were searched, and articles were marked as relevant if an intraluminal bypass device was studied in an animal or human population.

RESULTS

The database search yielded 24 relevant articles related to 10 intraluminal bypass devices protecting a colorectal anastomosis. These articles included experimental animal studies, preclinical (pilot) studies, as well as retrospective and prospective clinical studies. Each device was assessed with regard to surgical technique, effectiveness and device-related complications.

CONCLUSION

Intraluminal bypass devices show promise in preventing AL and its clinical consequences. However, there is insufficient high-level evidence to draw firm conclusions. There is a need for randomized controlled trials that directly compare these devices with the protective ostomy.

The effectiveness of a fecal diverting device for prevention of septic complications in a dog model of ischemic bowel anastomosis

OBJECTIVE

A type of bypass tube for a fecal diversion device (FDD) was created to protect colorectal anastomosis. We evaluated the effectiveness of the FDD in an animal study.

METHODS

The study was performed in an experimental animal laboratory of a tertiary referral center hospital. Thirty mongrel dogs were randomized to the FDD or control group (n = 15, each). An ischemic anastomosis model was used to readily produce anastomotic leakage (AL) in both groups. The FDD was fixed intraluminally at 10 cm above the anastomotic site in the FDD group. No protective methods were used in the control group. The postoperative observation period was 3 weeks.

RESULTS

The 3 week-survival rates were higher in the FDD group compare with the control group (80%, 12/15 vs. 40%, 6/15; log-rank, P = 0.024). The incidence of AL causing generalized peritonitis was lower in the FDD group than in the control group (20.0%, 3/15 vs. 60.0%, 9/15; P = 0.025) despite the overall incidence of complications being similar in the both groups (53.3%, 8/15 vs. 66.7%, 10/15; P = 0.456). Colonic wall erosions in the FDD fixing area were seen in two subjects (13.3%) in the FDD group. However, the two subjects survived to the end of the experimental period. In the FDD group, five subjects (33.3%, 5/15) did not retain their FDD, and three among them died from generalized peritonitis.

CONCLUSION

This study shows the effectiveness of the FDD at preventing septic complications in a dog model of ischemic bowel anastomosis.