Surgical morbidity after ileostomy in New South Wales

While there have been several overseas studies on the quality of life after proctocolectomy, data concerning patients who have undergone ileostomy and proctocolectomy in Australia are limited. For this reason, a questionnaire was sent to all members of the New South Wales Ileostomy Association. Of the 354 who replied, the indication for ileostomy had been ulcerative colitis in 82%, Crohn's disease in 10%, familial polyposis in 4%; and 4% had undergone proctocolectomy and ileostomy for some other reason. Ages ranged from 15 to 93 years. Most subjects, of whom 51% were female, had had their ileostomy for a median of 9.4 years. Immediate postoperative complications related to the ileostomy occurred in 23% of patients, the most common causes being obstruction and sepsis. The rate of readmission to hospital for complications of ileostomy was a high 48%; 25% had further surgery. In view of these results, the need for continued efforts to develop alternative methods is emphasized.