The surgical formation of a passageway between two normally distant spaces or organs. A “hooking-up” of bowel, ureter, artery, vein, etc., after a section is removed.

Not cancerous, not malignant.

Removal of all or part of the colon.

The surgically created opening of the colon (large intestine) which results in a stoma. A colostomy is created when a portion of the colon or the rectum is removed and the remaining colon is brought to the abdominal wall. It may further be defined by the portion of the colon involved and/or its permanence.

Present or existing at the time of birth, such as a deformity, disease, or tendency.

Inflammation of the diverticula (little sacs on the colon); can cause abscess, scarring with stricture or perforation of the colon with peritonitis in severe cases.

Salts and minerals needed by the body for health.

Rare disease; runs in families. The colon and rectum contain many polyps. This is a different condition from merely the presence of a small number of polyps in the colon. Familial polyposis requires regular medical supervision of all members of the family because of serious complications and strong tendency to malignancy.

An inflammation of the stomach and the intestines.

(J-Pouch) This is now the most common alternative to the conventional ileostomy. Technically, it is not an ostomy since there is no stoma. In this procedure, the colon and most of the rectum are surgically removed and an internal pouch is formed out of the terminal portion of the ileum. An opening at the bottom of this pouch is attached to the anus such that the existing anal sphincter muscles can be used for continence. This procedure should only be performed on patients with ulcerative colitis or familial polyposis who have not previously lost their anal sphincters. In addition to the "J" pouch, there are "S" and "W" pouch geometric variants. It is also called ileoanal anastomosis, pull-thru, endorectal pullthrough, and pelvic pouch and, perhaps the most impressive name, ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA).

Continent Ileostomy (Kock Pouch) In this surgical variation of the ileostomy, a reservoir pouch is created inside the abdomen with a portion of the terminal ileum. A valve is constructed in the pouch and a stoma is brought through the abdominal wall. A catheter or tube is inserted into the pouch several times a day to drain feces from the reservoir. This procedure has generally been replaced in popularity by the ileoanal reservoir (above). A modified version of this procedure called the Barnett Continent Intestinal Reservoir (BCIR) is performed at a limited number of facilities.

Waste matter from the ileum (small intestine), also referred to as intestinal contents, discharge, drainage, body waste, stool, and feces.

General term for ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

A cancerous growth.

Blockage of ileostomy indicated by partial or complete stoppage of ileal flow.

Person with an ostomy with special training to visit people before or shortly after ostomy surgery. The visitor offers support and information rather than medical advice.

The skin area around the stoma.

The bag that collects the discharge from the ostomy.

An artificial substitute for a missing body part, such as an arm or leg, eye, or tooth, used for functional or cosmetic reasons or both.

Surgical removal or excision.

Construction of a new stoma when the original one does not function well.

A muscle that surrounds and closes an opening. An ostomy does not have a sphincter.

Another term for ostomy, a surgically created opening.

An abnormal narrowing of a body passage.

The skin barrier is separate from the pouch. Both pieces are needed to create a complete pouching system.

This is a general term for a surgical procedure that diverts urine away from a diseased or defective bladder. The ileal or cecal conduit procedures are the most common urostomies. Either a section at the end of the small bowel (ileum) or at the beginning of the large intestine (cecum) is surgically removed and relocated as a passageway (conduit) for urine to pass from the kidneys to the outside of the body through a stoma. It may include removal of the diseased bladder.

Continent Urostomy There are two main continent procedure alternatives to the ileal or cecal conduit (others exist). In both the Indiana and Kock pouch versions, a reservoir or pouch is created inside the abdomen using a portion of either the small or large bowel. A valve is constructed in the pouch and a stoma is brought through the abdominal wall. A catheter or tube is inserted several times daily to drain urine from the reservoir.

Indiana Pouch The ileocecal valve that is normally between the large and small intestines is relocated and used to provide continence for the pouch that is made from the large bowel. With a Kock pouch version, which is similar to that used as an ileostomy alternative, the pouch and a special "nipple" valve are both made from the small bowel. In both procedures, the valve is located at the pouch outlet to hold the urine until the catheter is inserted.

Orthotopic Neobladder A replacement bladder, made from a section of intestine, that substitutes for the bladder in its normal position and is connected to the urethra to allow voiding through the normal channel. Like the ileoanal reservoir, this is technically not an ostomy because there is no stoma. Candidates for neobladder surgery are individuals who need to have the bladder removed but do not need to have the urinary sphincter muscle removed.