Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2013 Jun;26(2):112-21.
doi: 10.1055/s-0033-1348050.

Avoidance and management of stomal complications

Michael Kwiatt  1 , Michitaka Kawata  1
Affiliations
Review

Avoidance and management of stomal complications

Michael Kwiatt et al. Clin Colon Rectal Surg. 2013 Jun.

Abstract

The construction of an intestinal stoma is fraught with complications and should not be considered a trivial undertaking. Serious complications requiring immediate reoperations can occur, as can minor problems that will subject the patient to daily and nightly distress. Intestinal stomas undoubtedly will dramatically change lifestyles; patients will experience physiologic and psychologic detriment with stoma-related problems, however minor they may seem. Common complications include poor stoma siting, high output, skin irritation, ischemia, retraction, parastomal hernia (PH), and prolapse. Surgeons should be cognizant of these complications before, during, and after stoma creation, and adequate measures should be taken to avoid them. In this review, the authors highlight these often seen problems and discuss management and prevention strategies.

Keywords: colostomy complications; enterostomal therapy; ileostomy complications; stomal complications; wound ostomy continence.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Harris D A, Egbeare D, Jones S, Benjamin H, Woodward A, Foster M E. Complications and mortality following stoma formation. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2005;87(6):427–431. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Shellito P C. Complications of abdominal stoma surgery. Dis Colon Rectum. 1998;41(12):1562–1572. - PubMed
    1. Shabbir J, Britton D C. Stoma complications: a literature overview. Colorectal Dis. 2010;12(10):958–964. - PubMed
    1. Gooszen A W, Geelkerken R H, Hermans J, Lagaay M B, Gooszen H G. Quality of life with a temporary stoma: ileostomy vs. colostomy. Dis Colon Rectum. 2000;43(5):650–655. - PubMed
    1. Silva M A, Ratnayake G, Deen K I. Quality of life of stoma patients: temporary ileostomy versus colostomy. World J Surg. 2003;27(4):421–424. - PubMed