Value of ileorectal anastomosis in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Clinical and functional results in 16 patients

: Sixteen cases of ulcerative colitis (11 female, 5 male) of the colon, treated by colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis were examined. The average follow-up was 3.6 years. Recto-ileoscopy with histological examination at the follow-up time revealed inflammation of the rectal stump in 6 patients. No cancer or cellular dysplasia could be seen in the present biopsies. The average number of bowel movements during 24 hours was 5.6 (range 3 to 8). Evaluating the anorectal function was made by measuring the resting and squeeze anal canal pressures and by assessing the maximum volume tolerated during distention of a ballon in the rectum. The mean maximum tolerated volume was 178.3 +/- 59.9 ml; the maximum tolerated volumen was less than 150 ml in 5 of 12 patients. There was no significant difference in the maximum of the control group. The maximum resting pressure (100.6 +/- 24.4 cm H2O), (p less than 0.01) squeeze pressure (183.1 +/- 32 cm H2O), (p less than 0.05) and the length of the anal canal 3.07 +/- 1.02 cm (p less than 0.01) were in boths groups significant different. There were no deaths, and no clinical evidence of an anastomotic leak could be found.