Ulcerative Colitis

What is Ulcerative Colitis?
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammation of the lining of the large bowel, or colon. It does not affect the small intestine. Unlike Crohn's disease, this disease is not recurrent and may be cured with surgery.

What are the symptoms? How is it diagnosed?
Patients often experience rectal bleeding, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, weight loss, and fever. Patients with ulcerative colitis for more than 10 years are at an increased risk to develop colon cancer.

How is it treated?
Ulcerative colitis is initially treated with medications. Surgery is recommended for patients not responding to medications, those on high dose of steroids, having side effects of medications, severe bleeding, perforation, stricture, having fever from the colon (toxic colitis), and cancer. We advocate early operation for patients since surgery is curative and the ileoanal operation allows patients to have excellent quality of life without a stoma ("bag"). We have performed this operation laparoscopically.

References: Blumberg D and Beck DE. Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis. Gastroenterol Clin N Am. 2002; 31: 219-35.