Difference Between the Different Types of Ostomy - Colostomy, Ileostomy, and Urostomy

Ostomy

Ostomy is a type of digestive system surgery, a patient needs it to remove a chronic disease, infection, injury, and blockage from the large intestine, small intestine, and bladder (colon, ileum, rectum). It would be a new term for many people; thus, it can distress you. But, it is not something that will retrograde the quality of life. Because of this operation, you will get rid of the disease and able to enhance your life. No wonder, it will demand a few adjustments and emotional changes, but these will not last forever. Even the permanent ostomates feel a new life once they know how to deal with the stoma and ostomy life. This makes your life disease-free and easy than before.

Types of Ostomy

Ostomy has three primary types to treat your disease. Every kind is related to a specif tract in your digestive system. These are:

1.    Colostomy

2.    Ileostomy

3.    Urostomy

Colostomy

A colostomy is a kind of ostomy surgery used to treat and cure the large intestine in a digestive system. It involves the rectum and colon. When a person is diagnosed with a harsh disorder or cancer in these canals, he/she has to go through the colostomy surgery.

In this procedure, a surgeon removes the infected or dysfunctioned part of the large intestine or bowel, leaves the functioning section of the large intestine, brings it to the outer abdominal wall.

The reasons that drive patients towards the colostomy surgery are colon cancer, rectum cancer, bowel disease, injury in the colon, a blockage in the anus, a blockage in the rectum, birth defect in the colon or rectum, blockage in colon, diverticulitis, or any other chronic disease in any section of the large intestine. This makes the stool come out possible through an inorganic pathway.

Surgeons build an artificial round organ in the abdomen of the patient. This part is a circular pit in the lower left side of the navel, called a stoma. It accumulates the solid stool from the stoma. Remember that the colostomy opening only discharges the solid waste of the human body. If it releases a semi-solid stool, it is having a problem in stoma or an internal organ.

Ileostomy

It is a kind of ostomy that can cure the diseases and disorders in the small intestine. It involves the ileum, duodenum, and jejunum. When a person has dysfunctioned ileum, it makes the digestive system and the entire life of a patient disturb; thus, the person has to go through the ileostomy surgery.

The ileostomy becomes necessary in case of blockage in the ileum, injury in the ileum, cancer in the ileum, inflammatory bowel disease, holes in the ileum. or colitis disease.

The procedure involves the removal of the infected bowel or small intestine. A nurse designs a round hole on the lower right side of the patient's abdomen, then doctors remove the disease from the ileum or bowel. In a few cases, a doctor removes the entire intestine. Well, the doctor will bring the remaining and functioning section to the stoma. It will discharge a semi-solid form of feces. The stoma will be dark pink or red.

Urostomy

Urostomy is a kind of ostomy surgery that happens to remove the infected part of the bladder or the entire organ. It also eliminates the disease from the urinary tract. Thus, doctors need a new passage for the urine to come out. They fabricate a stoma on the right side of the abdomen. After this operation, the tubes of the kidneys directly pass the urine to the stoma opening.

The urostomy surgery becomes compulsory when a patient has bladder cancer, infection in the bladder, injury in the bladder, birth defect, or blockage in the tubes of urinary tack.

When Do You Need An Ileostomy?

An ileostomy is not just a life-saving procedure, but it also improves the quality of life by eliminating the painful and life-threatening bowel health condition. Many people wonder when it becomes necessary for a person to require an ileostomy.

Here is what you may want to know.

What is an ileostomy?

When we say ileostomy, we usually refer to its traditional type, which involves the removal of wastes through an opening in the abdomen. The surgeon creates this opening to pull a part of the small intestine to create a stoma after removing or resting the colon and rectum. The stoma is a bud-like structure that doesn’t have sphincters to allow you when to expel waste materials. It necessitates you to wear an ostomy bag over the stoma to collect waste content.

The small intestine meets the colon under the lower right area of the abdominal skin, so it is the place where your surgeon will create the stoma. A stoma is red or pink and moist.

Other types of ileostomies fall into the category of continent ileostomies, which involve the creation of an internal pouch to collect bodily wastes. This internal pouch consists of tissues from small and large intestines. It connects to an opening in the abdomen through a valve made of living tissues made of tissues from the ileum. A type of continent pouch connects to the anal canal, allowing the patient to expel body wastes through the anus. The surgeon will create this ileostomy if the patient retains a part of the rectum. This continent ileostomy is known as the j-pouch. Other continent reservoirs that connect to an opening in the abdomen are known as the Kock pouch and BCIR.

When does an ileostomy become necessary?

Depending on why you need it, an ileostomy can be permanent or temporary. The procedure is going to be permanent if your surgeon chooses to remove your colon, rectum, and anus. The procedure will be temporary if the surgeon removes the colon but leaves the anus and some part of the rectum.

According to the American Cancer Society, there can be many reasons a surgeon may need to perform an ileostomy. They have to go with this option when the underlying condition becomes uncontrollable through diet and medication. In some cases, an injury from an accident may be the reason an individual may need to undergo ileostomy surgery.

The most common health conditions that may lead you to require an ileostomy include:

• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Cancer
• Familial polyposis

Many patients with traditional ileostomies choose to undergo another surgical procedure to have a continent pouch to be able to manage stool evacuations in a batter way. Patients with Crohn’s disease, however, may not qualify for such procedures because this disease typically requires the removal of the entire colon. Patients who had their colon removed due to Crohn’s disease do not qualify for a continent pouch also because this condition is recurrent. It can cause complications like fistulae, abscesses, and strictures that can impede the functionality of the internal reservoir.