Appraisal of surgical treatment for distal ulcerative colitis

Most patients with ulcerative colitis respond well to medical treatment, however surgical treatment may be required in cases with severe clinical symptoms. We treated eight patients with distal ulcerative colitis (DUC), limited to the rectum and distal sigmoid colon, who were treated at St. Mark's Hospital by excision of the rectum and sigmoid colon with permanent colostomy. Four who did not respond to medical treatment and had severe and intermittent symptoms of long-standing, three with no control of the distressing diarrhea with a shorter history, and those with a severe dysplasia evidenced by rectal biopsy were surgically treated. Two of eight had a recurrence at the proximal colon within 6 and 10 years respectively but responded well to conservative management. From these observations it concluded that the procedure for patients with DUC may be one of adequate operations. Histological features of the resected specimens did not relate to the postoperative outcome of these patients.