About

A surgically created diversion in the excretory tract to allow you to evacuate your bodily wastes through an opening (stoma) in the abdomen is known as an ostomy. This diversion essentially bypasses a diseased section of the tract.

The creation of an ostomy is a part of the treatment that aims at removing the bladder or a part of the bowel. An ostomy becomes inevitable in this case because the patient has to get rid of bodily wastes. The surgeon makes a small incision in the abdomen to pull the end of the active part of the excretory tract through it. He then sutures the edges of that end to the abdominal skin, forming a stoma.

There are three types of ostomies, depending on the location of the stoma and the type of excretory tract. These ostomies are:

Colostomy
Ileostomy
Urostomy

Colostomy

The surgeon gives you a colostomy when your surgeon pulls a part of the colon through a small incision in your belly. He stitches the end of that part to the abdominal wall to create a stoma. A colostomy bypasses the rectum, anus, and a part of the colon. Depending on the reason, a colostomy can be permanent or temporary. Conditions that may lead you to require a colostomy may include cancer, diverticulitis, Hirschsprung's disease, imperforate anus, and trauma.

Ileostomy

An ileostomy bypasses the entire colon. The surgeon brings the end of the small intestine out through an incision in the belly to create a stoma. Bodily wastes passing out of an ileostomy are generally in liquid form. It happens due to the absence of the colon, which the people in the medical domain refer to as a re-hydrator. The function of the colon is to extract liquid from waste contents to keep the body hydrated.

The conventional type of an ileostomy is the one that involves a stoma in the abdomen to connect the end of the small intestine to the outside of the body. If you still retain your anus, your surgeon may choose to create an internal pouch, which connects to the anus. This internal pouch is known as an ileoanal reservoir, and it allows the patient to get rid of bodily wastes through the anus. This internal reservoir allows you to regain control over your bowel movements. You may need an ileostomy due to ulcerative colitis, familial polyposis, or Crohn’s disease.

Urostomy

A urostomy becomes inevitable when the bladder becomes unable to function due to a disease or injury. The surgeon first takes a piece of the small intestine to make a conduit. Ureters are disconnected from the bladder and connected to one end of the conduit. The other end of the conduit is pulled through a cut in the abdomen to create a stoma. This conduit receives urine from ureters and passes it to the outside of the body, where an ostomy pouch collects the waste. The reason you will need an ostomy pouch is that the stoma doesn’t have sphincter muscles to give you control over when to pass out urine.

Reasons you may need a urostomy mainly include bladder cancer, malfunctioning bladder, spinal cord injuries, and spina bifida.

Caring for an ostomy

Ostomy care generally refers to caring for the stoma and the skin around it. The most crucial part of it is to make sure that your pouching system adheres to the peristomal skin so well that it doesn’t allow urine to seep through the skin area underneath the skin barrier. Peristomal skin getting exposed to the peristomal skin doesn’t only result in a compromised seal, but it also contributes to the development of complications in the skin area. You may want to talk about it with your ostomy care nurse.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse