Abstract
All large-bowel stomas (198) performed between 1970 and 1980 in a community hospital were reviewed. Twenty-nine stomas were loop transverse colostomies. There were five deaths, a complication rate related to the stoma of 28 per cent, and only 18 patients ever achieved colostomy closure. Our conclusions are as follows: (1) transverse colostomy is a holdover from the past; (2) “temporary” loop colostomy is a misnomer; (3) all colostomies should be end-bearing and matured primarily; (4) blind surgery invites tragedy; (5) loop transverse colostomy is a risky first stage with little benefit; (6) every colostomy should be placed as near as possible to the disease process; and (7) resection of the disease is the ideal first stage.
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Read at the meeting of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 7 to 11, 1981.
This work was not supported by a fund or grant; it was done at St. Mary's Hospital and Medical Center, 450 Stanyan Street, San Francisco, California 94117.
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Winkler, M.J., Volpe, P.A. Loop transverse colostomy. Dis Colon Rectum 25, 321–326 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02553605
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02553605