Surgical therapy for ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a curable disease. Despite newer medications, many patients either fail medical therapy or develop dysplasia or carcinoma requiring surgery. Surgical techniques have improved, and complication rates have declined. The functional results of ileoanal reservoir surgery are excellent in most patients, and most patients agree that a pouch is better than the disease. One must balance poor function secondary to disease, cancer risk, need for medication, and side effects of medication against surgical morbidity and postoperative function.