Minimally invasive, endoscopically assisted colostomy can be performed without general anesthesia or laparotomy

Fecal diversion is frequently required in critically ill patients who may not be able to tolerate a laparotomy. Laparoscopic-assisted and trephine colostomies are alternative methods for colostomy without laparotomy, but require general anesthetic. The objective of this study was to evaluate the possibility of performing fecal diversion with the assistance of a colonoscope and without the additional morbidity of abdominal exploration or general anesthesia.

Patients were diverted using a colonoscope to identify a site of the sigmoid colon that could easily be approximated to the anterior abdominal wall as confirmed by transillumination of the abdominal wall. A small skin disc was then removed at this location and a loop colostomy was made. The colonoscope was also used as a guide to identify the proximal and distal limbs of the loop colostomy. Four patients were considered to be critically ill and local or regional anesthetic with sedation was used in these patients.

A total of 15 patients were reviewed during the past five years. All 15 patients were successfully diverted using minimally invasive techniques with the aid of the colonoscope. Four of these patients were diverted using local or regional anesthetic without complication, thus avoiding the morbidity associated with a general anesthetic in critically ill patients.

No complications related to this technique were noted in this five-year review. Endoscopically assisted colostomy is an acceptable method for fecal diversion without the need for laparotomy and can be accomplished using a local or regional anesthetic with sedation.