Interview with Prof. Bo Shen: the current status of pouch
On Feb. 18, 2017, the Digestive Disease Institute Week (DDI Week) sponsored by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation annually successfully ended, after a 5-day scientific and compact agenda. The event took place in Boca Raton, a beautiful city located in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. With a history of 28 years’ development, promotion and efforts, it has been a prestigious excellent meeting in digestive disease, enjoying a rather high reputation in China as well. The meeting is dedicated to providing comprehensive in-depth, detailed overview of new, controversial, challenging, and provocative themes, advances, innovations and inspirations in digestive disease.
During the meeting, we were honored to have an interview with Prof. Bo Shen, an invited speaker from Department of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA (Figure 1).
As an outstanding expert recognized as “King of Pouch”, he established the subspecialty Pouchitis Clinic, the first and the largest of its kind in the US, specializing in treating a wide range of pouch-related disorders. Why did he choose to be dedicated to pouch? Are there any stories behind along the way to share with us? With pleasure and curiosity in mind, we conducted the interview and had a relaxing chat with, Prof. Shen (Figure 2).
In 1998, he found a gap in the knowledge in terms of systemic diagnosis, management as well as findings in the ileal pouch, which urged them to establish a pouch center, so as to figure out what it was. The annually patient visits in the first year after the center was established were 64, but the newest data showed that over 2000 patients came for help in 2016.
What deeply touched him was that he has seen many grown-ups being very emotional in front of him, as in the USA you can hardly find a grow-up crying in public as the culture particularly respects strength. Nobody can imagine how much these patients have suffered from pouch disorders, which even has killed their health, family as well as career. With such amount of resources in pouch center, Prof. Shen felt like it was his obligation and mission to help others to get healthier and move forward.
Thereafter Prof. Shen introduced the various endoscopic pouch procedures which has been shown would improve patients’ health-related quality of life significantly and reduce the risk for colitis-associated neoplasia. On the other hand, various complications with the pouch surgery have been reported, ranging from procedure-associated leaks, strictures and sinuses. Although pouchitis is a non-specific inflammatory condition of pouch with its etiology still unknown the majority of patients typically response to antibiotic therapy at the first few episodes. It’s firmly believed that pathogenesis of pouchitis is associated with the change of bacteria, and the management of chronic antibiotic-refractory pouchitis (CARP) has been challenging.
At the end of the interview, Prof. Shen highly acknowledged his appreciation to the education he received in China, and vigorous supports from his family, teachers and the opportunity given by the US, which have and will always inspire him to work hard. The dream would come true one day, he believes. More details please refer to the interview video. Let’s enjoy video (Figure 3).
Interview questions
- Would you like to summarize the current status of pouch?
- What are the common complications of pouchitis?
- Would you like to share the progress of diagnosis and management of pouchitis?
- With your prestigious fame in pouch today, you have been working very hard in the filed with vigorous input and efforts. Would you like to share with us any stories along the way?
Expert introduction
Bo Shen, MD, Professor of Medicine of Lerner College of Medicine of Cleveland Clinic, Case Western Reserve University, the Ed and Joey Story Endowed Chair, Medical Director of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Center, and Director of IBD Fellowship at Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. Prof. Shen is specialized in medical and endoscopic treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, pouchitis and pouch disorders. He established the subspecialty Pouchitis Clinic and the Interventional IBD Unit, the first and the largest of its kind in the US, specializing in treating a wide range of IBD and pouch-related disorders. Prof. Shen has conducted numerous clinical and translational researches in IBD and pouchitis. Prof. Shen’s research has been funded by grants from National Institutes of Health, American College of Gastroenterology ACG, Broad Foundation, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America CCFA and philanthropic funds.
He has lectured extensively throughout the United States and abroad and has published more than 400 peer-reviewed articles. Prof. Shen is a Fellow of the ACG, AGA, and ASGE and a physician member of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. Prof. Shen has won multiple awards, including PA/MD of the Year Award, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Physician of the Year Award from Department of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, the Cleveland Clinic and Premier Physician of Year Award from CCFA Northeast Ohio Chapter.
Acknowledgements
None.
Footnote
Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
References
- Zhong J, Feng M. Interview with Prof. Bo Shen: the current status of pouch. Asvide 2017;4:264. Available online: http://www.asvide.com/articles/1573
(Senior Editor: Jessie Zhong, Science Editor: Maxine Feng, ATM, editor@atmjournal.org)
