Comparison of bowel function after ileorectal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis and colonic polyposis

Bowel habit has been studied in a group of 92 outpatients with ileorectal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis and compared with that in a group of 45 outpatients with ileorectal anastomosis for colonic polyposis. Bowel frequency ranged from 1-7 to 8-7 stools per 24 hours with a mean of 4-5 in the colitic group compared with a range of 1-3 to 8-1 stools per 24 hours and a mean of 3-5 in the polyposis group. Eighty-two per cent of the colitic group and 95% of the polyposis group had six or fewer bowel actions per 24 hours. Colitic patients in poor general condition at the time of colectomy seemed more likely to have over six bowel actions per 24 hours than those less severely ill. Urgency of defaecation was rare. Bowel actions every night and occasional faecal incontinence occurred in small but similar percentages of patients in both groups. Fifty-one per cent of patients in the colitic group, as compared with 9% in the polyposis group, were taking regular treatment to improve bowel function. Dietary difficulty was rare after ileorectal anastomosis in both colitic and polyposis groups.