Pig Bowel Transplant

Hello all,

I've been a bit quiet on here recently as it's been a bit hectic with work and football......

I am due to see this specialist on Tuesday re having the J-pouch but I was wondering if anybody has ever had the discussion prior to having the J-pouch as to whether or not wait a while and see where the future lies with having a pig bowel put in place of our own large bowel?

I know of a man who has had it done in the UK, I believe he is the 1st to have it done and it was about 1 year ago, he states that so far so good, he has to take anti-rejection tablets for life but in terms of the success so far, he claims its been fantastic.

Would anybody else consider this option over the J-pouch or does it sound too wierd?

Simon

I absolutely would over a stoma, yes; over a j-pouch, dunno, don't see much point in choosing it over a j-pouch - what would be the advantages? Edit: Having a pig colon, I suppose. Oink... <_<

Where did you hear about this man? I'd like to read his story.

Hi I have read that too about the man in uk I read it in a booklet from a supplier I think it was medi link but not sure. And yes he did have crohns before the transplant x

Here's a guy who had a small bowel transplant because of SBS caused by Crohn's surgeries; he developed Crohn's again in the new bowel: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14687158

Here's an article about a larger population of CD patients who received bowel transplants: http://www.upmc.com/media/newsreleases/2012/pages/transplant-severe-crohns-disease.aspx Although it's better than starving to death because you can't tolerate TPN anymore, you might note that 10% of them died within a year, and 25% within three years.

The guy in the UK had a small bowel transplant, NOT a colon transplant. It sounds like he was able to have a reconnect because his Crohn's disease didn't affect his large intestine so it was still present and healthy in his body.

I can't find anything on the internet referring to a large intestine transplant ever being performed. As we well know you don't need a large intestine to survive or thrive so I can't imagine it being a priority.

Oops, Pluot got in before me.

Yeah, I'm starting to think that whatever Simon was thinking of, it wasn't a large bowel transplant.

@Pluot - Speak for yourself; the day that permanent stomas are a thing of the past cannot come soon enough for me. If colon transplants become feasible, I'm finding a colorectal surgeon who makes it a priority. A permanent stoma as a solution to colectomy is not good enough to my mind; medical science should be striving to do away with them for good. If that requires colon transplants, so be it.

MY bad.... it was the small bowel. I was reliably informed by my wife that it was the large bowel. I should have known better than to believe a woman!!!! Only joking ladies.
I'll get my coat!!!!

For me, I would much rather ditch the diseased colon, get a j pouch or an ostomy than live with a transplanted colon (even if it could be done). Those anti rejection drugs are just plain awful. I was on Cyclosporine to treat my UC. That is one of the anti rejection drugs they use for transplant patients. It was a nasty drug! That all just seems too complicated when it doesn't have to be.

I had surgery because the meds didn't work for me, not to get off them. Apart from Pred. That was the only med I was not prepared to be on long-term.

Otherwise, yeah, bring on the immunesuppressants. For me it's worth it to reverse the stoma, get rid of the bags, and have a normal functioning colon again. They might even work on the Crohn's should it try to come back. Kill two birds with one stone.

Edit: I might end up going on Imuran or 6MP soon anyway. Depends on what my blood/stool tests show in a week's time. Crohn's folks always have the prospect of being on meds, no matter how many surgeries they have. So from my point of view, a colon transplant absolutely would be worth it.

Post Edited (NiceCupOfTea) : 10/25/2013 5:50:56 PM (GMT-6)