Neuropathological Changes of the Intestinal Wall in Patients With Bowel Evacuation Disorders

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot listed
Trial typeObservational
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorEvangelisches Klinikum Köln Weyertal gGmbH

About this trial

Constipation and defecation disorders affect about 15% of the European population and of those up to 30% of the patients over 65 years of age. For those affected, this is associated with major restrictions in quality of life and high health care costs .

The underlying causes of constipation and defecation are complex and only partially understood.

Intestinal (full wall) resections taken in clinical practice from these patients when conservative therapy has been exhausted show rarefaction of ganglion cell nests in the myenteric plexus and submucosal plexus as well as changes in cholinergic innervation.

Initial histopathological investigations suggest an inflammatory genesis of this rarefaction of ganglion cell nests, which will be further characterised/investigated in the context of this study on the basis of further histopathological and serological investigations. This may lead to novel therapeutic approaches that can causally treat the symptoms of those affected.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

obstructive defecation disorder scheduled for surgery

must be able to undergo surgery

> 18 years of age

informed consent

Disqualifiers

no defecation disorder

no surgery needed

unable to undergo surgery

≤ 18 years

Trial population

Patients with severe defecation disorders, both in terms of colonic transit disorder and obstructive defecation disorder, and combinations of both, who have been managed conservatively and require a full-wall bowel biopsy or bowel resection for medical indication.

Trial design

Design model

Cohort

Time perspective

Retrospective

Treatments tested in this trial

  • blood sample

    Diagnostic test

    we want to identify a diagnostic option to identify patients, who have a neuropathological distraction of their ganglia cells in the bowel

Treatment groups

No treatment groups listed

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Neuropathological changes of the intestinal wall in patients with bowel evacuation disorder in correlation to clinical defecation score

Clinical outcome measure by score: Altomare Score (name of initiator) score (minimum 0 to maximum 30 points; higher values mean worse outcome)

Time frame
10 years

Secondary outcomes

1

Correlation of psychic health and neuropathological changes of the intestinal wall in patients with defecation disorder

Changes in QoL and relief from depressive symptoms after surgery measured by clinical psysic health questionnaire (PHQ 9) ; minimum 0 to maximum 27 points; higher scores mean worse outcome

Time frame
10 years
2

Correlation of anxiety scoring and neuropathological changes of the intestinal wall in patients with defecation disorder

Changes in anxiety symptoms after surgery measured by clinical general anxiety score (GAD 7); minimum 0 to maximum 21 points; higher scores mean worse outcome

Time frame
10 years
3

Association of pathological findings for autoimmune activation with duration of symptoms according to medical history

Onset of symptoms in correlation to severity and picture of pathological findings in months

Time frame
questionaire at inclusion to study
4

Association of pathological findings for autoimmune reaction with an initiating event according to the medical questionaire

Identification of an initiating event to the occurrence of the symptoms

Time frame
questionaire at inclusion to study

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

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