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Temporary stomas

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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A temporary stoma is one in which the stoma is used to temporarily divert the faecal stream from a more distal portion of bowel. The stoma is closed once the problem has resolved. A colostomy may be constructed as:

  • an emergency procedure to relieve complete distal large bowel obstruction when there is resulting proximal dilatation
  • a protective procedure for a more distal anastomosis which is at particular risk of breakdown or leakage, e.g. an elective operation where the bowel has not been adequately cleared of faeces.
  • a 'resting' procedure where the distal portion of bowel has been involved in some inflammatory process, e.g. acute Crohn's disease, pericolic abscess.

Temporary stomata are increasingly being replaced by 'medical stomata', e.g. elemental diets.

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The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

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