Preliminary report of a new technique for temporary faecal diversion after extraperitoneal colorectal anastomosis

Loop ileostomy is a suitable procedure for transitory faecal diversion after colorectal or coloanal anastomosis. We describe here an easy alternative technique for ileostomy construction that does not require reintervention for the closure.

In twenty patients undergoing anterior resection of the extraperitoneal rectum with colorectal and/or coloanal anastomosis, loop ileostomy was performed using a modified jejunotomy tube inflated with 10 ml of normal saline. The tube was deflated on the eighth post-operative day and removed on day 11 after a radiological contrast enema of the anastomosis.

Radiological control carried out on day 11 evidenced a premature dislocation of the jejunostomy tube in 1 patient, thus the tube was correctly removed without any complications. In another patient a delayed closure of the ileo cutaneous fistula was recorded that required simple medication over 15 days in the out patient clinic. No signs of anastomotic leakage, either clinical or radiological were evidenced.

We have described here a safe alternative technique for loop ileostomy with negligible complications related to construction as demonstrated in our results.