The Ileo-anal Pouch Operation 

Written by Roy Maxwell MD FRCS, Consultant Surgeon at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast.

The ileo-anal pouch operation, sometimes called restorative proctocolectomy, which was first described in 1978, has been a major advance in the treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis. The operation has enabled many people requiring surgery for colitis and for some other diseases of the large bowel to avoid a permanent ileostomy.

The leaflet covers :

• Normal working of the intestines
  
  
• The pouch operation
  
  
• Which conditions are suitable for treatment by the pouch operation
  
  
• Are some people not suitable for the pouch operation?
  
  
• Are all pouch operations the same?
  

and several other topics.

Members wishing to receive a copy should contact IA National Office.