Causes for Ostomy Surgery

Why Do People Have an Ostomy?

All Ostomy surgeries serve the same basic purpose: a stoma to provide the body with an alternate way to remove waste when the body’s regular systems for waste removal—the urinary or digestive system—malfunction. Many different conditions can cause the need for Ostomy surgery. They fall into four main categories: inherited conditions such as familial polyposis, injuries to the digestive or urinary tract, diseases such as Crohns disease, bladder cancer, and bowel cancer.

Inherited Conditions

Birth defects and other inherited conditions can cause the body’s waste removal systems to malfunction. These include:

• Hirsch sprung disease: a birth defect in which the nerves in the bowel wall are missing from the anal region up the bowel for a variable distance. These nerves normally assist the bowel’s movement of stool. As a result, the bowel suffers massive enlargement above the area of missing nerves.

• Familial polyposis: an inherited condition in which hundreds of polyps form in the colon and rectum, which can obstruct the bowel

• Imperforate anus: a birth defect where the rectum is not connected to the anus. As a result, the bowel has no outlet from the body.

• Spina bifida: a birth defect of the spinal column that leaves part of the spinal cord unprotected. This can result in bowel and/or bladder incontinence.

Accidental Injury

When trauma damages part of the body’s waste removal system, an Ostomy may be necessary. In some cases, the Ostomy might be temporary, to allow the injured area to rest and heal. The procedure can be reversed after the body has healed. In cases where the damage to the intestines or bladder is too great to be repaired, the injured area is usually removed. An Ostomy bypasses the missing organ, providing an alternate exit for body waste.

Disease

Bowel and bladder diseases are [DR1] some of the most common causes for ostomy surgery. Diseases affecting the bowel and bladder include:

• Crohn’s disease: a disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive tract, especially the small intestine. The resulting swelling can cause pain, diarrhea, and even blockage.

• Diverticulitis: a disorder that causes inflammation of the diverticula, which are part of the large intestine wall.

• Ulcerative colitis: a disease that causes inflammation and sores to form in the lining of the colon and rectum. In severe cases, the colon may need to be removed and Ostomy surgery performed.

Note: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a digestive tract syndrome, not a disease like those listed above. It does not cause damage to the digestive tract, so does not require Ostomy surgery. To date, no link has been found between IBS and other inflammatory bowel diseases.

Cancers are a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell division, resulting in malignant tumors that can damage the affected organs and invade nearby tissue. Although not all bowel and bladder cancers require Ostomy surgery, these cancers can damage the affected organs and interfere with their function, so that they need to be removed and/or bypassed.

Many different conditions can interfere with the body’s ability to process and eliminate its waste. When this happens, Ostomy surgery can provide a backup system for waste removal. Whether it’s permanent  because the colon or small bowel had to be removed or a temporary performed to give the colon or small bowel healing time after an accident—Ostomy provide an alternate way for the body to remove waste. By doing so, Ostomy surgeries save lives. 

After returning back to a healthy active life most Ostomates never look back.