http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_1...-10391704.htmlWhat's best for a wrecked rectum? Maybe an auxiliary anus.
Don't say I didnt warn you
Kidding aside, scientists say they've created the world's first replacement anal sphincter, the circular muscle that rings the rectum - and predict it could make an effective treatment for fecal incontinence. That's potentially big news for people suffering from the embarrassing condition, given the limited effectiveness of the electrical implants, muscle grafts, and other treatments now in use.
"In essence, we have built a replacement sphincter that we hope can one day benefit human patients," study author Dr. Khalil N. Bitar, a professor at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, said in a written statement.
Using human muscle and nerve cells, scientists were able to make the bioengineered sphincters in about six weeks. The sphincters worked normally when implanted in mice. The ultimate goal of Bitar's effort is for doctors to take muscle and nerve cells from individual fecal incontinence patients and use them to create "personalized, hard-wired" sphincters that would not be rejected by an immune response.




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