Sometimes treatment for Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and familial adenomatous polyposis involves removing all or part of the intestines. When the intestines are removed, the body needs a new way for stool to leave the body, so the surgeon creates an opening in the abdomen for stool to pass through. The surgery to create the new opening is called ostomy. The opening is called a stoma.

Different types of ostomy are performed depending on how much and what part of the intestines are removed. The surgeries are called ileostomy, colostomy, and ileoanal reservoir surgery. When the colon and rectum are removed, the surgeon performs an ileostomy to attach the bottom of the small intestine (ileum) to the stoma. When the rectum is removed, the surgeon performs a colostomy to attach the colon to the stoma. A temporary colostomy may be performed when part of the colon has been removed and the rest of the colon needs to heal.

Ileoanal reservoir surgery is an alternative to a permanent ileostomy. It is completed in two surgeries. In the first surgery, the colon and rectum are removed and a temporary ileostomy is done. In the second surgery, the ileostomy is closed and part of the small intestine is used to create an internal pouch to hold stool. This pouch is attached to the anus. The muscle of the rectum is left in place, so the stool in the pouch does not leak out of the anus. People who have this surgery are able to control their bowel movements.

More information is available from the following organizations:

International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
P.O. Box 17864
Milwaukee, WI 53217
Phone: (414) 964-1799 or 1-888-964-2001
Email: iffgd@iffgd.org
Internet: www.iffgd.org

Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America Inc.
386 Park Avenue South, 17th Floor
New York, NY 10016-8804
Phone: 1-800-932-2423 or (212) 685-3440
Email: info@ccfa.org
Internet: www.ccfa.org

United Ostomy Association, Inc.
19772 MacArthur Boulevard, Suite 200
Irvine, CA 92612-2405
Phone: 1-800-826-0826 or (949) 660-8624
Email: info@uoa.org
Internet: www.uoa.org

Additional Information on Ileostomy, Colostomy,
and Ileoanal Reservoir Surgery
The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse collects resource information on digestive diseases for the Combined Health Information Database (CHID). CHID is a database produced by health-related agencies of the Federal Government. The CHID database located on the World Wide Web at http://chid.nih.gov/simple/simple.html, provides titles, abstracts, and availability information for health information and health education resources. See the results of our CHID research on " Colostomy, Ileostomy and Ileoanal Reservoir Surgery," November 10, 2002.

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