Salvage surgery after restorative proctocolectomy.

Restorative proctocolectomy is now the elective surgical procedure of choice for most patients with ulcerative colitis or familial adenomatous polyposis. There are four causes of failure including acute and chronic sepsis, poor function for mechanical or functional reasons, mucosal inflammation (including pouchitis and retained rectal mucosa) and neoplastic transformation. Failure rates themselves range from 5% to nearly 20%. Followed over a period of 20 years, the failure rate can be summarised approximately as 5% at five years, 10% at ten years and 15% at 15 years.