Intestinal Stomas and their Complications:A Descriptive Study

Abstract

A retrospective review of 80 consecutive patients with different types of intestinal stomas was carried out to analyze the indications, complications and the complication rate with respect to stoma type. The most common type of stoma was found to be end sigmoid colostomy (35%) followed by transverse loop colostomy (22.5%). The most common indication for stoma construction was colorectal cancer (37.5%) followed by Hirschsprung's disease and imperforate anus (12.5% for each). A total of 64 complications were reported in 49patients for a corrected complication rate of (61.25%). Peristomal skin excoriation was the most frequently recognized complication in this study (45.3%), followed by prolapse (23.4%) which was almost exclusive to infants and children. Transverse loop colostomy was associated with the highest complication rate (72.2%) followed by end sigmoid colostomy (64.28%). End ileostomy was associated with the lowest complication rate (33.3%) of all types of stoma. Emergency stomas and stomas in children were found to be associated with higher complication rates. The morbidity of stoma seems to be related to insufficient preoperative planning, technical errors of stoma construction and poor stoma care and management.