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Clin Colon Rectal Surg 2024; 37(06): 387-397
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1777453
Review Article

Stoma Complications

Aaron J. Dawes
1   Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
2   Department of Surgery, Stanford-Surgery Policy Improvement Research and Education Center, Stanford, California
,
John V. Gahagan
1   Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
› Author Affiliations
Funding Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number KL2TR003143. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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Abstract

Stoma-related complications are among the most common sources of perioperative morbidity in colorectal surgery. Complications can occur intraoperatively, in the immediate postoperative period, or even months to years after stoma creation. Although some will require urgent surgical intervention, most are treated nonoperatively with a combination of education, appliance adjustment, and behavioral intervention. Optimal management of stoma complications nearly always requires a multidisciplinary team approach, including surgeons, enterostomal therapists, and other allied health professionals, depending on the specific situation. Patients with a functional stoma should be expected to be able to do anything that patients without a stoma can do with minimal exceptions. The treatment of stoma complications therefore centers on improving stoma function and maximizing quality of life. Although timely and comprehensive intervention will result in the resolution of most stoma complications, there is no substitute for preoperative planning and meticulous stoma creation.

Keywords

stoma - surgical complications - colorectal surgery


Publication History

Article published online:
13 December 2023

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