Colostomy

In some bowel resections, the surgeon will need to do a colostomy. A piece of the colon is diverted to an artificial opening in the abdominal wall. This creates an opening in the skin, or stoma, for feces to pass into a bag. Your surgeon will perform a colostomy if there’s an issue that may keep the two ends of the intestine from healing properly, inflammatory bowel disease, ruptured diverticulum, ischemia or traumatic injury. Some stomas are permanent, and some are temporary. If you are a candidate for a colostomy reversal, after a period of healing, you will have a second surgery for a reversal.