Parastomal Evisceration: A Report of Two Cases and Review of Literature

Intestinal stomas have been performed for hundreds of years for both benign and malignant disorders of the large and small bowel. Complications of stomas like stomal prolapse, parastomal hernia, and retraction are well-known. The evisceration of intra-abdominal contents is a very rare occurrence, carrying a high burden of morbidity. The etiology, timing, and treatment of this complication are not adequately described in the literature. We report two patients who were operated and in whom ostomy was fashioned; parastomal evisceration occurred in the early postoperative period in both cases. Both of these patients were operated emergently, and reduction of eviscerated contents followed by stoma refashioning was performed. One patient survived; whereas, the other patient who presented with septic shock expired due to multiorgan dysfunction syndrome. This report describes a rare and possibly fatal complication of ostomy and highlights the importance of meticulous operative technique in ensuring safety in this procedure.