BACKGROUND:
Up to 20% to 40% cases of redo ileal pouch anal anastomosis will result in pouch failure. Whether to offer a second redo procedure to maintain intestinal continuity remains a controversial decision.
OBJECTIVE:
To report our institutional experience of second redo ileal pouch anal anastomosis procedures.
DESIGN:
This was a retrospective review. Patient-reported outcomes were compared between patients undergoing second redos with those of patients undergoing first redos using propensity score matching to balance the 2 cohorts.
SETTINGS:
Tertiary referral center.
PATIENTS:
Patients who underwent second redo ileal pouch anal anastomosis procedures between 2004 and 2021.
INTERVENTIONS:
Second redo ileal pouch anal anastomosis.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
Pouch survival, patient-reported outcomes measured using the Cleveland Global Quality of Life survey.
RESULTS:
Twenty-three patients were included (65% female), 20 (87%) with an index diagnosis of ulcerative colitis and 3 (13%) with indeterminate colitis. Final diagnosis was changed to Crohn’s disease in 8 (35%) cases. The indication for pouch salvage was the same for the first and second redo in 21 (91%) cases: 20 (87%) patients had both redo ileal pouch anal anastomoses for septic complications. After a median follow up of 39 months (interquartile range, 18.5 – 95.5), pouch failure occurred in 8 (30%) cases (7 cases due to sepsis, of which 3 never had their stoma closed, and 1 case due to poor function); all patients who experience pouch failure underwent the second redo due to septic complications. Overall pouch survival at 3 years was 76%: 62.5% in patients with final diagnosis of Crohn’s disease, versus 82.5% in ulcerative/indeterminate colitis (p = 0.09). Overall quality of life score (0 -1) was 0.6 (0.5 – 0.8). Quality of life and functional outcomes were comparable between first and second redos, except incontinence, which was higher in second redos.
LIMITATIONS:
Single center retrospective review.
CONCLUSIONS:
A second pouch salvage procedure may be offered with acceptable outcomes to selected patients with high motivation to keep intestinal continuity. See Video Abstract.