Colectomy

Colectomy is the surgical removal of all or part of the colon, the longest part of the large bowel, performed as a partial procedure removing a section or a total procedure removing the entire colon, and called a proctocolectomy when the rectum is removed as well. It may be prophylactic, curative or palliative, and its indications range from inflammatory and autoimmune conditions to cancer, vascular problems, mechanical obstruction, infection, trauma and functional disorders; most colectomies are elective, though emergency surgery becomes necessary for perforation, tissue death, uncontrolled bleeding or obstruction threatening perforation. Surgeons perform the operation through open surgery or minimally invasive laparoscopic or robot-assisted approaches, and afterward either restore bowel continuity with an anastomosis or create an ostomy, a colostomy if part of the colon remains or an ileostomy after total removal, with possible complications including anastomotic leak, bleeding, infection, ileus and injury to nearby structures such as the ureter, bladder or blood vessels.