Postoperative complications after right colonic resections for inflammatory bowel disease and carcinoma

We have compared the postoperative course of patients undergoing right colonic resections for both carcinoma and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The records of 100 patients with IBD (average age 29) and 85 patients with carcinoma (average age 71) were reviewed. There was a mortality rate of 2.4% in the carcinoma group and 0% in the IBD group. Complications in the carcinoma group (36%) were mainly due to systemic problems, while in the IBD group the complications (28%) were mainly abdominal. The postoperative stay for both groups was similar with a mean stay of 15 days. The high rate of abdominal complications in the IBD was attributed to the increased incidence of infection in this group while the high rate of systemic complications in the carcinoma group was thought to be due to the old age of this group. The relatively high percentage of complications in both groups led to a generally prolonged hospital stay.