A Brief Introduction of Colostomy and Types of Colostomy

What is Colostomy Surgery?

When doctors remove a small portion of the colon and bring the other part of the large intestine to the abdomen wall to create a stoma, it is called colostomy surgery.

The stoma (an artificial hole in the belly wall) needs a container or bag to collect the stool. A colostomy surgeon removes a small part of the colon (large intestine) that is injured or infected and connects the other part to the stoma. The patients who are suffering from colon cancer, colon injury, acute gastrointestinal pain, IBD or poor performance of the large intestine need colostomy surgery. It is a lifesaving surgery for cancer patients.

Why a Person Needs Colostomy Surgery?

A colostomy is a common type of ostomy surgery. It belongs to the disease and treatment of large intestine and bowel. Through the colostomy surgery, surgeons create a new path of pooping. When a patient needs the operation, it means his natural process of discharging feces is not working. Therefore, he needs a stoma to excrete the waste. The large intestine absorbs the watery solution from the stool and saves it until the movement of the bowel happens. If the large intestine (colon) cannot perform these functions, the person needs treatment.

The function of the large intestine (colon) is to convert the unused food into feces. It receives all the unabsorbed food from the small intestine. The large intestine has to absorb water, nutrients, electrolytes, and some specific vitamins. When a person goes through the ostomy surgery, the feces cannot reach rectum and anus, after passing through the process of the small intestine (ileum) and large intestine (colon), it directly goes to the stoma.

Types of the Colostomy Surgery

The kind of surgery can be identified through the location of the stoma in every colostomy surgery.

The following are the types of colostomy:

•  Ascending Colostomy.
• Transverse Colostomy
• Descending or Sigmoid Colostomy.

Ascending Colostomy

When the stoma appears on the right side of the abdomen in the result of colostomy, it is an ascending colostomy. In this type of surgery, the discharge is very liquid. The thin liquid discharge is uncontrollable in the initial few days of the operation. Because of that, patients wear a reusable or drainable stoma bag. The discharge can happen at any time and four to five times a day. That is why you need to take care of your stoma, peristomal odor, and pouch.

Transverse Colostomy

When there is a colostomy in the upper right or the middle of the abdomen, then it is a transverse colostomy surgery. The primary causes of the transverse colostomy are diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, blocks, injury or birth defects in the colon (large intestine). After this operation, feces do not reach to the descending colon, before getting to the descending large intestine, the stool comes out through the stoma.

Descending or Sigmoid Colostomy

Doctors perform descending colostomy on the lower left side of the abdomen. The stool is firm when there is sigmoid surgery. It is the most often performed colostomy operation. The feces of the descendent colostomy do not have caustic enzyme content. Therefore, it discharges the solid and regulated waste. In this type of colostomy, the stool comes out at regular intervals. Thus, you can know your excretion timings. You can use a disposable stoma bag for a sigmoid colostomy. As it does not discharge the liquid stool, you have to clean the peristomal once a day. You do not have worries about frequent discharge and smell. However, in the case of constipation, you need to visit your doctor.

Some Other Types of Colostomies based on Construction

The following are the types of colostomies identified through the way of construction:

•                    Hartman’s Colostomy.

•                    Loop Colostomy.

•                    Double barrel Colostomy.

•                    Spectacle Colostomy.