The Surgical Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

As the etiology of ulcerative colitis is still unknown, no causal treatment has as yet been found. A rigid conservative therapy leads to success in only 75% of the cases, whereas in about 25% the disease takes such a dangerous turn that only the excision of the entire colon offers a prospect of saving the patient. Considering that the selection of the right moment for surgery greatly influences the operative mortality, the surgeon is particularly interested in knowing the criteria which impose the necessity for operative treatment. Here we wish to deal with these criteria in the light of our experience gained with the operative treatment of 80 patients suffering from ulcerative colitis.