Ileostomy Vs. Colostomy

Both an ileostomy and colostomy are used to help patients pass stools when the colon or rectum cannot do the job. While each surgery serves a similar purpose, the two are quite different with regard to the surgery involved, its aftercare, and the reasoning that leads up to each procedure.

While both are surgical procedures, the details of each are different. Both surgeries are used to create an opening through which solid waste from the body can pass. With an ileostomy, an opening is created from the ileum, the lowest part of your small intestine, through the abdominal wall to replicate the function of an anus. Ileostomies allow stools to pass through the body when the colon or rectum is unable to serve this purpose. A colostomy is quite different, and involves a procedure to bring an end of the large intestine through the abdominal wall so that stools moving through the intestine can bypass the colon and travel directly to a bag that is attached to the abdomen.

Ileostomies are performed under a number of different circumstances where there is damage to the colon or rectum. Most ileostomy patients suffer from some sort of inflammatory bowel disease or colon or rectal cancer. Abdominal infections, like an abscess or a perforated diverticulitis, colon or rectal injury, or large bowel blockage, can led to a colostomy. Patients with rectal or colon cancer, as well as those with injuries in the perineum area, may also require this sort of surgery.

Both colostomies and ileostomies are designed to be temporary or permanent depending on the particular situation and the condition of the colon or rectum. After large intestine surgeries it is not uncommon for a surgeon to recommend either procedure to give the intestine some rest. Short-term colostomies or ileostomies can be reversed when part of your rectum remains intact.

Expect to stay in the hospital for anywhere between three and seven days after either surgery, with the longer stays reserved mainly for emergency surgeries. Most patients can expect to eat normally as little as two days after the colostomy and the ileostomy.

Both the colostomy opening and the colostomy bag must be well taken care a few times a day of to ward off infection. You will need training on how to clean both as well as how to empty the bag. Ileostomies require little aftercare, and most patients can return to their pre-surgical activities including sports, travel and jobs with no problem. Patients with ileostomies that suffer from a chronic intestinal condition like Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis will require ongoing medical treatment to manage the disease.