The surgical management of nonspecific inflammatory bowel disease: a small personal experience

AIMS: To document the surgical management of patients with non specific inflammatory bowel disease managed in the colorectal service, University Department of Surgery, Wellington School of Medicine. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of patients managed between April 1975 and March 1990. RESULTS: Sixty five patients had inflammatory bowel disease. Twenty one (11 males) had ulcerative colitis and 44 (18 males) had Crohn's disease. There were no Maori. One hundred and twenty three operations were performed overall. Ten patients with ulcerative colitis were operated upon as emergencies. Five presented with fulminating disease. Six patients successfully underwent restorative proctocolectomy although one was subsequently thought to have had Crohn's disease. Overall there was one postoperative death. Crohn's disease patients underwent a total of 91 operations. Twenty nine operations were elective and 15 emergency during the first surgical admission. The commonest indication for surgery was stricture. The commonest operation performed was right hemicolectomy. Chest, wound and central line sepsis were the commonest postoperative problems. There were two postoperative deaths. Six patients favoured a series of relatively minor perineal operations to proctectomy. CONCLUSION: A cautious staged approach to the surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease patients resulted in only three deaths-an overall mortality rate of 4.6%. Accordingly we advocate a policy of expectant surgery to relieve symptoms or correct complications in patients with Crohn's disease. We believe that patients requiring surgery for ulcerative colitis should be offered the choice of either restorative proctocolectomy or panproctocolectomy and ileostomy.