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Gurgaon: Stool transplant is an unusual but potentially beneficial treatment for serious intestinal ailments as per a continuous series of studies conducted by Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI). The first successful stool transplant in India was carried out at FMRI in 2014 on a 44-year old male, Manas Shukla who had been suffering from Ulcerative Colitis since 11 years.
Following informed consent and approval from Institutional Ethical Committee, he underwent three sessions of stool transplant through colonoscopy. The donor was a 34-year healthy relative.
Meanwhile, Dr. Avnish Seth, Director of Gastroenterology & Hepatobiliary Sciences at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon has the credit of pioneering stool transplant in the country. He added, “Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) also known as stool transplant is the process of transplantation of fecal bacteria from a healthy individual to a recipient We are delighted with the results of the recent 10 stool transplant cases that FMRI has conducted free of cost. Six of them have responded well and are leading a normal life with no symptoms, no strong medication and their colonoscopy is normal”.
Dr. Seth further adds, “Unlike the trials in US, Europe and Australia, where donor stool is processed in the hospital at considerable cost, we have devised a ‘Do It At Home’ kit for preparation of stool. We have also used a new technique of deep instillation of stool in the colon by using a colonoscope as compared to use of rectal enema or naso-duodenal tube reported in recent trials. No adverse effects have been noted so far. We are continuing our study on patients with Ulcerative Colitis and have also another one on patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Mr Manas Shukla shares, “As the first person in India to have undergone FMT, I am grateful to Dr Avnish Seth and his excellent team for their open-minded and radical approach. Dr Seth is literally a God-sent to me. I feel on top-of-the-world now, and am not having any steroids or relapses. I have no words to thank the team at Fortis.”
Mr Rahul Agarwal, another patient who recently underwent the stool transplant procedure shares, “I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2006 and used to have a relapse almost every year. I had no choice but to take strong steroids which had several side effects. Then Dr Avnish Seth at Fortis offered me a solution through the breakthrough procedure of stool transplant in 2015. I underwent a total of four transplant procedures in the last one year – initially the donor was my wife and later, a friend. I am feeling absolutely fit now, sans any steroids or visible symptoms. I hope to be completely cured in the next few months”.
