Colon Surgery or diverticulitis and cancer

Colon surgery is the most common treatment for colon cancer. Ideally, when colon cancer is present, it is caught at an early stage and removed with a colonoscope. Most of the time, however, colon surgery is required to treat colon cancer. Colon surgery is also used to treat diverticulitis, a digestive disease that involves the formation and inflammation of pouches on the outside of the colon.

Types of Colon Surgery

There are two types of colon surgery: surgical resection and ostomy. When colon cancer is detected at a later stage, surgical resection is performed. During a colon resection, the diseased part of the colon is removed and the two remaining parts of the colon are reconnected. This procedure is called anastomosis, and it is performed using a suture or stapling device.

Surgical resection can be performed as open surgery or laparoscopic surgery. The type of procedure performed will depend on your diagnosis and individual needs, but open surgery is the standard procedure for colon resection. Open surgery is performed under general anesthesia and generally lasts for about two to four hours. During open surgery, an incision is usually made down the middle of the abdomen and the diseased portion of the colon is removed. Laparoscopic surgery, on the other hand, requires smaller incisions and has a shorter recovery period. It is still a fairly new technique, but it is rapidly gaining popularity.

An ostomy is a type of colon surgery that is performed to remove part of the colon and redirect the way waste leaves the body. During an ostomy, an opening is created in the abdomen. An ostomy bypasses the rectum, so waste material leaves the intestine through a port in the abdomen and into a colostomy bag on the outside of the body. Some ostomies are permanent, while others are temporary and performed to give your colon a chance to heal.