Temporary Ostomy:
A temporary ostomy is often done temporarily to allow resected bowel, stricture or fistula to heal. Most commonly done in resections and in proctocolectomy with J-pouch/IPAA to allow the bowel to rest prior to reconnection.
There are two types of ostomies in IBD: colostomy (involves the colon) and ileostomy (involves the small intestine).
Colostomies are usually given in hemicolectomies where a portion of the colon is salvageable. See Figure 6.
When the entire colon is severely diseased and proctocolectomy is required, patients are given an ileostomy. See Figure 5.
Written by Tina Aswani Omprakash. Medically reviewed and validated by Jordan Axelrad, MD, MPH. These webpages are funded by a grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
Contact Us
United Ostomy Associations of America
P.O. Box 2293
Biddeford, ME 04005-2293
Call us toll-free at: 1-800-826-0826.
Our Information Line hours are Monday-Friday, 9am to 3pm EST. If you have an emergency, please dial 911 or contact your local medical professional.
Please understand that UOAA is a private, nonprofit, advocacy and informational organization. We are not a medical facility and we do not have medical or legal professionals on staff. Therefore, UOAA does not provide Medical, Mental Health, Insurance or Legal Advice. Visit UOAA Virtual Ostomy Clinic provided by The Wound Company for non-emergency, virtual ostomy support.
