Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Decompensated Cirrhosis

Overview

Cirrhosis of the liver is the culmination point of long-standing chronic liver disease hallmarked by the cardinal features of liver fibrosis and portal hypertension. The prognosis of patients with cirrhosis is punctuated by the onset of complications which denote the stage of decompensation characterized by ascites, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), and variceal bleeding. Patients with cirrhosis have been demonstrated to have significant changes in their gut microbiota characterized by alteration in the intestinal microbiome (gut dysbiosis) as well as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). Gut dysbiosis has been closely linked to the complications associated with decompensated cirrhosis. Several studies have documented the alteration of gut microbiota in patients with hepatic encephalopathy. Therapeutic modalities that restore normal gut flora and stabilize the gut liver axis are being extensively studied in the management of cirrhosis and its complications. Antibiotics, probiotics, and long-chain fatty acid supplementation are being evaluated as methods to restore the gut dysbiosis and consequently limit progressive liver damage. Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) involves the infusion of intestinal microorganisms by the transfer of stool from a healthy individual into a diseased individual for restoration of normal intestinal flora.The ultimate goal of FMT is to replace aberrant native microbiota with a stable community of donor microorganisms. The treatment is based on the premise that an imbalance in the community of microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tract (i.e., dysbiosis) is associated with specific disease states. FMT has been well-established as a treatment modality to stably modify the gut microbiome and has been shown to be safe and efficacious in several disease states resulting from gut dysbiosis. With this background, a trial is proposed to determine whether an FMT from a healthy donor to a patient with advanced cirrhosis improves overall survival and prognosis.