One-year infliximab administration for the treatment of chronic refractory pouchitis

Nikos Viazis; Marios Giakoumis; Theodoros Koukouratos; Efstathios Saprikis; Elias Anastasopoulos; Mousa Al-Odat; Georgios Kechagias; Georgios Zacharakis; Konstantinos Markoglou; Paraskevi Gouma; Demetrios G. Karamanolis

Authors Nikos Viazis, Marios Giakoumis, Theodoros Koukouratos, Efstathios Saprikis, Elias Anastasopoulos, Mousa Al-Odat, Georgios Kechagias, Georgios Zacharakis, Konstantinos Markoglou, Paraskevi Gouma, Demetrios G. Karamanolis.

Abstract

AIM. To determine the efficacy of infliximab in the treatment of chronic refractory pouchitis, following ileo-pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) for ulcerative colitis (UC).

METHODS: Seven patients (4 females, 3 males) with chronic refractory pouchitis were included in an open study. Pouchitis was diagnosed by clinical plus endoscopic and histological criteria. Three patients had also fistulae (pouch-bladder in 1 and perianal in 2). Extraintestinal manifestations were also present in 4 patients (erythema nodosum in 2, arthralgiae in 2). All patients were refractory to antibiotics, while 5 patients were refractory to azathioprine as well. Crohn's disease was carefully excluded in all patients after re-evaluation of the history and examination of the small bowel with enteroclysis or small bowel capsule endoscopy. Patients received Infliximab 5 mg/kg at 0, 2 and 6 weeks and thereafter every 2 months for 1 year. Clinical response was classified as complete, partial, and no response. Fistulae closure was classified as complete, partial, and no closure. The pouchitis disease activity index (PDAI) was also used as an outcome measure.

RESULTS: Clinically, all patients improved. After 1 year of follow-up, 5 out of the 7 patients had a complete clinical response, and 2 out of the 3 patients with a fistula had complete fistulae closure. At the end of the follow-up period the median PDAI dropped from 11 (baseline) (range, 10-14) to 5 (range, 3-8). Extraintestinal manifestations were in complete remission at the end of the follow up period as well.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that infliximab may be recommended for the treatment of chronic refractory pouchitis complicated or not by fistulae following IPAA for UC.