Muscle fragments injected to fix fecal incontinence
NCT ID NCT05396456
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early study tests whether injecting a person's own muscle fragments into the anal sphincter can repair muscle and improve bowel control. Ten adults with severe, long-term fecal incontinence who have not been helped by other treatments will receive the injection. The goal is to reduce leakage and improve quality of life.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 10 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jan 2023
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years of age * participants must experience 4 or more Fecal Incontinence (FI) episodes per 2 week period * participants must score \>10 on Cleveland Clinic Fecal Incontinence Severity Scoring System (CCIS) * participants must have had symptoms for at least 12 months * participants who have failed standard medical and surgical treatments for FI * participant will undergo anorectal manometry (ARM) testing * participants will undergo endoscopic anal ultrasound and demonstrate an anatomic defect of the anal sphincter complex of at least 30 degrees * women of childbearing potential must use acceptable contraceptives during this study Exclusion Criteria: * participants with symptomatic anorectal disease including symptomatic hemorrhoid disease, anal fissure or fistula causing symptoms such as bleeding, swelling, pain, or drainage * participants with pre-existing ano-rectal pain of any cause * participants with incontinence of flatus only * chronic watery diarrhea which is the primary cause for fecal incontinence * acute or chronic anorectal infections (including proctitis, recurrent abscesses, fistulae) * presence of anorectal tumors * active proctitis or inflammatory bowel disease * previous injection of internal anal sphincter (IAS) with bulking agents * participants requiring immunosuppression or who have any malignant disease within 3 years of enrollment * participants with a defined bleeding disorder diagnosed and treated by a hematologist * other exclusions include history of pelvic radiation, rectal prolapse, anorectal malformations, anorectal surgery within the previous 12 months, or treatments using injection or infrared coagulation for treatment of hemorrhoids * participants with neurologic disease characterized by significant peripheral neuropathy or spinal cord dysfunction * women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have had a child within the last year * participants with a history of unstable cardiac function (New York Heart Association Functional Classification III or IV) or unstable pulmonary function requiring home oxygen, or abnormal kidney function (Cr \>1.5 mg/dl or on dialysis) or uncontrolled diabetes (Hemoglobin A1C \> 8 mg/dl) * participants with anemia (hemoglobin \<10g, increased alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \>2 times normal) or increased bilirubin \>1.5mg/dl * participants with Hepatitis B or C, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 or 2 * rectal prolapse * vaginal prolapse beyond the hymen * unable to understand informed consent information even with provision of a medical translator
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Wake Forest University Health Sciences
RECRUITINGWinston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157, United States
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