Effect of enterostomy on quality of life in spinal cord injury patients

To determine the difference in the bowel care of spinal cord injury patients before and after enterostomy, we interviewed 20 patients--19 men and one woman. Their ages were 27-75, median 55 years. The paralytic lesions were spastic in ten and flaccid in ten. A total of 24 enterostomies were done for the following reasons: fecal contamination of decubitus ulcer in seven, colonic tumor in six, perforation of the colon in four, prolapse of the large intestine in four, inconvenience of bowel care in two, and perirectal abscess in one. There were 17 sigmoid and five transverse colostomies, and two ileostomies. (Two patients accounted for six procedures.) Follow-up time ranged from three months to six years, median nine months. Bowel care time was reduced from 0.7-14 hours, median 6.0 hours per week preoperatively, to 0.3-7 hours, median 1.0 hours per week postoperatively. Reversal of fecal leakage, abdominal pain, gas and anorexia were also reported. All patients were happier with their bowel care after surgery. We conclude that enterostomy in the spinal cord injury patient makes bowel care considerably more convenient, and improves the quality of life as well.