LONGTERM POST-OPERATIVE EVALUATION OF ANORECTAL AUTOTRANSPLANTATION TECHNIQUE IN SWINE

• Grant number: 22/15766-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2023
• End date: February 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Silvio Henrique de Freitas
• Grantee: Julia Belotto Guaraná
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Fecal incontinence (FI) is a personal and socially disabling condition, which causes suffering to patients and onerous public health costs. Some patients with severe FI and those with cancer of the lower rectum or anal canal undergo definitive colostomy, which causes psychological and economic difficulties similar to those of severe FI. Its etiology includes traumatic or iatrogenic sphincter injuries, complex deliveries, tumors, neuropathies, congenital alterations, inflammatory diseases, among others. Current treatments for severe fecal incontinence are ineffective, have early relapse, and high morbidity and mortality, which is why research has been motivated to improve results. Anorectal transplantation aims to restore the function of irreversibly damaged tissues and improve the quality of life of patients with major deficiencies such as FI. Results of previous studies have standardized preoperative and anesthetic procedures, surgical technique and postoperative care for animals undergoing this surgery. This project aims to evaluate the prolonged clinical and morphological evolution of 8 pigs submitted to anorectal autotransplant surgery and aims to study the recovery and viability of the graft and the effectiveness of the technique through an unprecedented partnership between two major research institutions, the Faculdade de Medicine (FM) and the Faculty of Animal Science and Food Engineering (FZEA) of the University of São Paulo (USP).