Some Information About Colostomies And Joke

A colostomy is performed in order to bypass or remove the lower colon and rectum. The procedure generally involves creating a passage, called a stoma, through the abdominal wall that is connected to the colon. The feces pass through this passage and are eliminated. Patients must learn how to care for the stoma and keep the area sanitary.

A colostomy is usually by its location (for example in the sigmoid area) or by the have one opening (single-barreled), or there may be two loops opening through the skin (double-barreled).

Usually the colostomy is temporary and can be reversed by a second operation after about three to six months. It the rectum and sphincter muscles in the rectum need to be removed, the colostomy is permanent. Permanent colostomies are more common when the cancerous regions are within two to three centimeters of the anus. Fortunately, surgical advances and knowledge of the extent of safe margins are reducing the need for permanent colostomies.


Managing Permanent Colostomies. In cases where the colostomy is permanent, the patient must wear a colostomy pouch, which sticks to the skin using a special glue. Pouches are available as one- or two-piece systems. The one-piece system is simpler, but the two piece system allows replacement of the pouch without removing the tape.

For best results, the pouch should be emptied when about one-third full. It should be replaced one or two times a week, depending on signs of leakage (itching or burning of the skin near the stoma). It is important to stress that the pouches are odor proof.



Laparoscopy is less invasive and may be as effective as the open approach with fewer side effects in selected patients. It is still investigative, however. It is generally used for early colon cancer (for tumors less than 2 centimeters or for well-defined tumors less than 3 centimeters), but it also is being investigated for rectal and advanced colorectal cancers. Laparoscopy employs a few small incisions through which the surgeon passes a fiber optic tube (laparoscope) containing a small camera or tiny instruments. A 2004 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that patients who received laparoscopic colectomy had similar rates of surgical complications, cancer recurrence, and survival as those who received traditional open surgery.