Background: Rectal instillation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), important nutrients for the colorectal mucosa, has been suggested to be of therapeutic value in distal intestinal inflammation.
Methods: In this study nine patients with Hartmann-closed rectum after colectomy for acute colitis were investigated. In a double-blind crossover trial an enema containing SCFA or a placebo solution was administered twice daily for 3 weeks. Before entry into the protocol, after each treatment period, and 6 weeks after the study period the patients' symptoms were evaluated, rectal endoscopy was performed, histologic samples were scored, and microbiologic analyses were carried out.
Results: No significant differences in symptoms, in mucosal inflammation, in histologic scoring, or in microbiologic studies were found between SCFA and placebo periods. Unexpectedly, all but one patient entirely lacked coliform bacteria in the rectum.
Conclusions: In this study SCFA enemas had no beneficial effect on inflammation in excluded rectum in patients earlier submitted to colectomy for colitis. However, a different rectal flora was detected in these patients.