The surgery method, which involves the repair of the damage caused to the colon, rectum, and anus with the help of different types of procedures, is called Colorectal surgery. The consequence or effect of the result can be either long term or short term depending upon the type of system performed. The operation can also make in the foot of a patient to get rid of his or her hernia. The surgeons who are operating this kind of surgery are known as colorectal surgery.

What are the reasons to perform colorectal surgery?

When a part of the colon, rectum, and anus is detected to be repaired, colorectal surgery is performed in action. The damage can be caused due to various reasons such as cancer, inflammatory disorder (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease”), injury, and ischemia. The elimination of feces would get blocked by the masses and scar disease. Some other causes such as diverticulitis and colitis can cause perforations in the rectum.

The area of damage is removed, and so the tissues can return to their normal bowel function. The conditions which require the colorectal surgery are:

• Fissures in anal (unusual tears and cracks in the anus)
• Defects found in anus or colon by birth
• Hemorrhoids or Piles, a condition in which there will be swelling or inflammation in the veins of the rectum
• Colon and rectal cancer
• Anal or rectal prolapse
• Anal cancer

How to prepare for the colorectal surgery?

The patient will be instructed to sign a consent form by the doctor after explaining the procedure and the aftermath of the surgery. The patient will be examined for various tests such as blood analysis, urine analysis, x-ray, and electrocardiogram.

The bowel should be emptied before the surgery, and hence the patient should follow the strict diet plan, which is recommended by the physician. The diet usually is made with a liquid diet plan. The patient should not consume food or usable item for about 6 to 8 hours before the surgery.

The bowel will be emptied with the help of enemas or any oral drugs. In order to avoid any infections after the surgery, some antibiotics are provided to the patient who can reduce the bacterial infections in the intestine.

What are the types of colorectal surgery?

There are various types of colorectal surgery, which has its pros and cons. Some of them are,
Colectomy is the surgical procedure that involves the re-sectioning of the colon or large intestine. It is also used to perform a surgery where the entire large intestine and the rectum are entirely removed.

Stricturelasty is also one of the colorectal surgeries which are used to remove the developed scar tissues in the walls of the intestine of the patient. This condition may cause inflammation in the bowel.

Laparoscopic colorectal surgery is one of the emerging and efficient processes to treat the conditions as mentioned earlier. It is a minimally invasive surgery.

What is the procedure to perform colorectal surgery?

Traditional colorectal surgery is performed by making large incisions, while the laparoscopic methods require several small incisions. These incisions are made in the abdominal part of the patient through where the laparoscope is inserted into the stomach.

The laparoscope is useful to the surgeons to analyze the internal organs while performing the surgery. The abdominal walls get inflated by providing carbon dioxide gas to the patient. The inflated abdomen offers enough space to detect the formation of the tumor (abnormal growth of the tissue) in the patient.

What to do after the surgery?

The patient should be checked for blood pressure, pulse, and respiration rate, and body temperature after the surgery. Due to the anesthesia given, the patient may have shallow breathing, which may cause a little pain in the area of the incisions. They can get discharged after two to four days and can do their daily activities after a week or two.

What are the expected outcomes of this surgery?

The patient will mostly heal completely after the surgery. The patient’s recovery time would vary on the health condition and the impact of the operation on his/her health. The patient has to follow a strict diet plan to avoid any future complications.