The quality of life after proctocolectomy and ileostomy

A questionnaire was sent to ten patients who had had conventional ileostomies converted to continent ileostomies. The first part of the questionnaire was concerned with the function of the continent ileostomy. In the second part, the two types of ileostomies were compared with regard to functional aspects and their influences on the daily lives of the patients. When the patients compared the situation with the conventional ileostomy to the situation with the continent ileostomy, it was found that the conventional ileostomy influenced the daily lives of the patients much more than generally has been recognized, and also that successful conversion to the continent ileostomy eliminated most of the drawbacks of the conventional ileostomy.