Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 7, 2026
Robot-assisted Total Mesorectal Excision and Lateral Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection for Locally Advanced Middle-low Rectal Cancer
Published on: February 12, 2022
Is the Use of a Support Bridge Beneficial for Preventing Stomal Retraction After Loop Ileostomy? A Prospective
Heung-Kwon Oh1, Eon Chul Han, Yoon Suk Song
1Heung-Kwon Oh, Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Eon Chul Han, Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Yoon Suk Song, Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Mi Sun Seo, Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Seung-Bum Ryoo, Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Seung-Yong Jeong, Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Kyu Joo Park, MD, Department of Surgery, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Purpose:
A temporary defunctioning loop ileostomy is frequently created during low colorectal or coloanal anastomosis to prevent peritoneal sepsis associated with anastomotic leakage. We investigated whether routine support bridge placement prevents stoma retraction after the formation of a loop ileostomy.
Design:
Prospective, nonrandomized trial.
Subjects And Setting:
The study sample comprised 32 consecutive patients who underwent defunctioning loop ileostomy at an academic tertiary care center in Seoul Korea from February to September 2010.
Methods:
Patients were nonrandomly allocated to "no bridge," "short-term bridge" (1 week), and "long-term bridge" (3 weeks) groups based on the surgeon's clinical judgment. Group differences in stoma height changes over time were analyzed.
Results:
Subjects' mean age was 59.5 (range: 43-82) years, and the male-to-female ratio was 2.2:1.0. The mean heights of the stoma on postoperative day 2 and postoperative month 3, respectively, were 1.07 ± 0.16 cm (mean ± SD) and 0.81 ± 0.17 cm in the no-bridge group, 1.70 ± 0.29 cm and 1.21 ± 0.18 cm in the short-term bridge group, and 1.18 ± 0.16 cm and 1.01 ± 0.20 cm in the long-term bridge group. The changes in the stoma height 3 months after the surgery showed no statistically significant differences among the groups (P = .430). Stoma Quality of Life scores at 3 weeks (47.4 vs 46.1; P = .730) were similar for patients with and without bridges. However, a significantly greater number of patients with bridges reported difficulty with pouch changes compared to those without bridges (72.7% vs 14.3%; P = .002).
Conclusions:
Routine use of support bridges during loop ileostomy is unnecessary and inconvenient to patients. If a support bridge must be used, it can be removed early.
Related Concept Videos
01:21Inflammatory Bowel Disease V: Surgical Management
Here are some common surgical interventions for IBD:
01:24Ostomy Care
An ostomy is a surgical procedure that creates an artificial opening from the intestines to the outside of the body, allowing for the rerouting of effluent. This opening is known as a stoma. A stoma usually protrudes above the skin surface, appearing pink or red, moist, and round, and it lacks nerve sensations.
There are different types of ostomies, including colostomies, ileostomies, and urostomies:
01:16Tracheostomy Care I: Pre-procedural Steps
Required Equipment
The equipment necessary for tracheostomy care includes:
01:20Spanning Openings in Brick Walls
Lintels are primary supports used to span openings and can be crafted from materials such as reinforced concrete, steel-reinforced brick masonry, or simple steel angles. These are straightforward to install and are typically concealed...