Colorectal Diseases Non Cancerous Colorectal Disease

Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory condition that is characterized by tiny ulcers and small abscesses confined to the inner lining (mucosa) of the colon. Those patients who do not respond to medical treatments for ulcerative colitis, around 20% to 25% of those with this illness, will require surgical treatment. The most common operation is total removal of the colon and rectum with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis which today is no longer disfiguring and preserves the passage of stool through the anus. The current trend is to perform surgical intervention when it appears the inflammation is not responding to medication and before the patient becomes debilitated by the disease or develops cancer.