An ileostomy is used to move waste out of the body when the colon or rectum is not working properly.
The word "ileostomy" comes from the words "ileum" and "stoma." Your ileum is the lowest part of your small intestine. "Stoma" means "opening." To make an ileostomy the surgeon makes an opening in your belly wall, brings the end of the ileum through the opening. The ileum is then attached to the skin.
Alternative Names
Enterostomy
Description
Before you have surgery to create an ileostomy, you may have surgery to remove all of your colon and rectum, or just part of your small intestine.
These surgeries include:
An ileostomy may be used for a short or long time.
When your ileostomy is temporary it most often means all of your large intestine was removed but you still have at least part of your rectum. If you have surgery on part of your large intestine, your doctor may want the rest of your intestine to rest for a while. You will use the ileostomy while you recover from this surgery. When you do not need it anymore, you will have another surgery to reattach the ends of the small intestine. You will no longer need the ileostomy after this.
You will need to use it long-term if all of your large intestine and rectum have been removed.
To create the ileostomy, the surgeon makes a small surgical cut in the wall of your belly. Part of your small intestine that is farthest from your stomach is brought up and used to make an opening. This is called a stoma. When you look at your stoma, you are actually looking at the lining of your intestine. It looks a lot like the inside of your cheek.
Sometimes, an ileostomy is done as the first step in forming an ileal anal reservoir (called a J-pouch).
