Ulcerative Colitis | Seattle Childrens Hospital

Your child might need surgery if:

Most people with ulcerative colitis need surgery at some point to remove the colon and reduce the risk for colon cancer.

There are 2 main types of surgery for ulcerative colitis. Both are surgeries to remove the colon. The most common surgery goes by many names:

In this operation, surgeons remove the entire colon and the lining of the rectum. Then they create a pouch inside the body from the end of the small intestine (ileum) to the anus.

To give the pouch a chance to heal and function as the new bowel for the child, surgeons usually do this operation in two steps:

Ileostomy is temporary. It allows the rectum to heal without stool passing through. In about 2 months, after the inside pouch heals, surgeons remove the outside bag and close the ileostomy. This allows waste to pass out through the anus.

The second type of surgery for ulcerative colitis is called proctocolectomy (or sometimes just colectomy). This operation is rarely, if ever, needed. Surgeons remove the entire colon. If the rectum is too unhealthy to work well, surgeons take it out along with the colon. Then they create a permanent ileostomy.

Before either surgery, your childs surgical team will explain the details, including:

Some children who have pouch surgery have complications afterward. The IBD Center team provides care and support for these conditions, which include urgent need to use the bathroom, bleeding, inflammation of the pouch and problems emptying stool from the pouch. Treatment options offered through the IBD Center include dietary therapies, antibiotics, probiotics, medicines that reduce inflammation, treatments done with an endoscope and surgery.

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Ulcerative Colitis | Seattle Childrens Hospital