An Explanation of Three Frightening Words : Ostomy, Colostomy, Ileostomy

These three words bring up frightening images and dread in many people who know very little about them. I hope I can give you a little new information on this subject that will help you understand what an ostomy is and why it may be needed.

An ostomy is a surgical opening that is created on the abdominal wall for waste products to move out of the body. An ostomy is performed when a medical condition makes it necessary to bypass the small intestine, large intestine, rectum or anus. This procedure can be permanent, to offer a better quality of life to patients after cancer surgery, or it may just be temporary, until the intestines, rectum or anus heals, and the connection to the intestines can be reconnected.

The word ostomy means the artificial opening on the abdominal wall where waste material passes out of the body from the bowel or urinary tract.

To understand an ostomy, it will help to understand a bit about the body’s anatomy. The gastrointestinal tract begins with the esophagus (the tube connecting the mouth and the stomach in which food goes down). From the stomach, the gastrointestinal tract (G.I. tract) continues through the stomach, small intestine, large intestine (colon) rectum and anus.

When food is swallowed in the esophagus it is mixed and churned in the stomach, then digested and absorbed in the small intestine. The waste leaves the small intestine as liquid. The large intestine (colon) absorbs water from the liquid material and stores what is left as formed stool until it passes out of the body through the rectum.

An ILEOSTOMY is when the ileum (the last part of the small intestine) is brought through the abdominal wall. When waste reaches the ileum it is in liquid form. A collection device (bag) is placed over the stoma (hole) in the abdomen to collect this liquid stool. In some cases, the doctor can make an internal pouch with skin from inside the abdomen and a bag on the outside is not required. In this case the type of ileostomy is called a Koch’s pouch or continent ileostomy.