Prognosis
The prognosis after successful removal of the colon is highly dependent on the original disease. Ulcerative colitis is cured after removal of the entire colon and rectum. To date, there is unfortunately no cure for Crohn’s disease, but well adapted therapies can minimize the symptoms.
Both diseases allow a largely normal lifestyle and do not limit life expectancy. If the disease has been present for many years, the probability of intestinal carcinomas increases, which is why an annual colonoscopy is advisable for clarification.Life expectancy is generally not shortened by the removal of the colon, but it is strongly related to the underlying disease, i.e. the cause of the bowel removal. Life expectancy is hardly limited by chronic inflammatory bowel disease, and the removal of the affected bowel segments in ulcerative colitis can even lead to complete healing.
In colorectal cancer, the prognosis and thus life expectancy is very much dependent on the growth of the tumor. Here, too, healing can be achieved in the early stages by removing the colon. This topic might also be of interest to you: Prognosis of colorectal cancer
Removal of large intestine in various diseases
Colitis ulcerosa is an intermittent, persistent inflammatory disease that affects the mucous membrane of the colon and occurs continuously. This means that only a continuous part of the intestine is affected. At the beginning only the rectum is affected.
In half of the cases, the disease remains limited to this part of the intestine. In addition, in ulcerative colitis the diseased area spreads to other parts of the colon at most. Generally, ulcerative colitis is initially treated with medication.
However, if the drugs do not respond adequately or if serious complications of the disease occur, surgical removal of the affected colon sections is necessary. Such complications may include sudden dilatation of the bowel or severe bleeding. Since the part of the intestine affected by ulcerative colitis is connected, the affected sections can be easily removed by surgery and the disease is usually completely cured.
During the operation, the remaining sections of the colon or small intestine are transformed into a kind of rectum, which is now used as an outlet for normal bowel movements at the same place as before. However, in some patients this increases the frequency of bowel movements and can cause irritation in the anal region. Crohn’s disease is a persistent inflammatory disease of the entire intestinal wall that occurs in relapses.
In two thirds of cases the posterior incision of the small intestine is affected. However, it can affect all sections of the digestive tract and spreads to different locations simultaneously. Therefore, it is very difficult to remove the diseased sections of the intestine by surgery.
The therapy is therefore mainly carried out with anti-inflammatory drugs. However, surgery is necessary in 80% of patients suffering from Crohn’s disease as the disease progresses. Only certain very active areas of the bowel are removed in order to alleviate a severe flare-up of the disease.
Surgery may also be necessary if complications such as fistulas, abscesses, constrictions or obstructions of the bowel occur. If it is planned long enough, it can be performed by means of colonoscopy and is therefore an easier procedure for the patient. However, the removal of intestinal sections is always associated with future risks such as intestinal obstruction. In addition, surgery for Crohn’s disease cannot result in complete recovery, as the disease may recur in other parts of the digestive tract.
