Ileostomy

Alternative Names: Enterostomy

An ileostomy is an opening in your belly wall that is made during surgery. Ileostomies are used to deliver waste out of the body when the colon or rectum is not working properly.

The word "ileostomy" comes from the words "ileum" and "stoma." Your ileum is the lowest part of your small intestine. "Stoma" means "opening." Your ileum will pass through a stoma after your surgery.

Description of Procedure

Before you have surgery to create an ileostomy, you may have surgery to remove all of your colon and rectum, or just part of your small intestine.

See also:

• Small bowel resection
• Total abdominal colectomy
• Total proctolectomy with ileostomy

You may use your ileostomy for only a short time, or it may be created for long-term use. When it is long-term, it is usually because all of your large intestine and rectum have been removed.

To create the ileostomy, the surgeon makes a small surgical cut in the wall of your belly for the stoma. Then the part of your small intestine that is farthest from your stomach is brought up and used as the stoma.

When you look at your stoma, you are actually looking at the lining of your intestine. It looks a lot like the inside of your cheek.

Sometimes ileostomies are made as the first step in forming an ileal anal reservoir (called a J-pouch).

Risks of Ileostomy

Talk with your doctor about these possible risks and complications.

Risks for any surgery are:

• Wound infection
• Blood clots in the legs that may travel to the lungs
• Breathing problems
• Heart attack or stroke

Risks for this surgery are:

• Bleeding inside your belly
• Damage to nearby organs
• Dehydration (not having enough fluid in your body) if there is a lot of watery drainage from your ileostomy
• Difficulty absorbing needed nutrients from food
• Infection, including in the lungs, urinary tract, or belly
• Poor healing of the wound in your perineum (if your rectum was removed)
• Scar tissue in your belly that causes a blockage in your intestines
• Wound breaks open

Review Date: 11/23/2010
Reviewed By: George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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