Abstract

MARTINEZ MILLAN, Sergio Antonio. Tratamiento quirúrgico de la rectocolitis ulcerativa: ¿Qué podemos ofrecerle a nuestros pacientes?. Gen [online]. 2007, vol.61, n.1, pp.70-78. ISSN 0016-3503.

Background: treatment for Ulcerative Colitis is mainly medical; however, surgery is a suitable option for some patients. The aim of this review article is to delineate the historical development of surgery for ulcerative colitis, and to analyze current surgical indications and outcomes of surgical options for patients with Ulcerative Colitis. Methods: Review of suitable articles identified electronically using PubMed and Lilacs search and manual checking of the references of the cited articles. Results: Surgical indications are: emergency conditions, dysplasia-colorectal cancer and unacceptable secondary effects or lack of response to medical treatment. Either subtotal or total colectomies with terminal ileostomy are the most accepted options for those patients in an emergency situation. There are several proposed elective interventions, and, currently, restorative proctocolectomy with the creation of an ileoanal reservoir is the best option. Such intervention has been widely performed through different centers with satisfactory results worldwide. Conclusions: Surgical treatment for Ulcerative Colitis has evolved continuously. Currently, surgical options can bring to the patients an adequate quality of life. Since surgical interventions modify intestinal physiology, physicians, surgeons and patients should have a comprehensive preoperative discussion, so the patients may have reasonable postoperative expectations. On the other hand, in areas with low prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, such as Venezuela, seems reasonable to establish multidisciplinary teams to offer the best care for patients with such diseases.

Keywords : Inflammatory bowel disease; Surgery; Ulcerative Colitis; History; Emergency; restorative proctocolectomy; ileoanal reservoir.