Autologous skeletal-muscle-derived cell injection for anal incontinence due to obstetric trauma: a 5-year follow-up of an initial study of 10 patients.

AIM: Our aim was to determine whether the benefits of autologous skeletal-muscle-derived cell injection to treat obstetric anal incontinence are sustained at 5 years.

METHOD: An observational study was performed of 10 women suffering from obstetric anal incontinence refractory to non-surgical therapy. Autologous skeletal-muscle-derived cells were injected into the external sphincter defect under ultrasound guidance. Incontinence diaries and quality of life questionnaires were obtained pre-implantation and annually after implantation for 5 years. Anal physiology testing was performed before implantation and at 1, 2 and 5 years after implantation. The end-points included were adverse events, Wexner incontinence scores, incontinence episodes, anal squeeze pressures and quality of life over 5 years. An independent statistician used multilevel linear regression to analyse changes in repeated measures over time. Any skewed distributions were log transformed prior to analysis.

RESULTS: No procedure-related adverse events occurred and haematological and biochemical parameters were normal during the 5-year period. There were sustained significant improvements in the Wexner incontinence score and reduced frequency of defaecation and number of incontinence episodes (all comparisons P < 0.001). Anal resting and squeeze pressures showed sustained improvement (all P < 0.001) and quality of life improved overall (P < 0.001), including all submeasures studied (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Autologous skeletal-muscle-derived cells to treat obstetric anal incontinence resulted in sustained improvement in incontinence episodes, physiological measurements of anal function and quality of life at 5 years.