title: [Pouchitis treatment by probiotics].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to review the principal effects of probiotics on pouchitis and identify their mechanisms of action.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was based on a review of all relevant studies published in the literature on the effects of probiotics in pouchitis and their possible mechanisms of action.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pouchitis is the major long-term complication after ileal pouch anal anstomosis for ulcerative colitis. The cause is still unknown but is likely to be multifactorial. An imbalance in the usual fecal flora was recently suggested. Most patients with symptoms of pouchitis respond promptly to antibiotics. However, 5-10% of them develop rapidly relapsing symptoms that required protacted therapy. Porbiotics are living microorganisms that ingested in adequate amounts exert beneficial effects. Promising results have been obtained with probiotics mainly in maintenance of remission of chronic pouchitis and also as induction of remission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that restoring the microbial imbalance may offer an effective therapeutic alternative to patients with pouchitis.
authors.affiliation: Service de Gastro.B, La Rabta, Tunis.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maamouri
authors.forename: Néziha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Belkahla
authors.forename: Hager
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ouerghi
authors.forename: Imed
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cheikh
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ben Ammar
mesh_terms: D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D019449:Pouchitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome