The Results of Surgical Treatment of Ulcerative Colitis in Children

ABSTRACT

Ulcerative colitis, one of the inflammatory bowel disease, is primarily managed medically with combinations of 5-ASA and steroids. However, this chronic disease requires surgical management if symptoms persist or complications develop despite medical management. The clinical course, the indications and outcome for surgical management of pediatric ulcerative colitis patients were studied from medical records retrospectively. Twenty-one patients under the age of 15 who were endoscopically diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital between January, 1988 and January, 2003 were subjected to the study. Mean follow up period was 3 years and 10 months. The mean age was 10.3 years old. All patients received medical management primarily after diagnosis and 8 patients (38%) eventually required surgical management. Of 13 patients who received medical management only, 7 patients (53%) showed remission, 4 patients are still on medical management, and 2 patients expired due to congenital immune deficiency and hepatic failure owing to sclerosing cholangitis respectively. In 8 patients who received surgical management, 1 patient underwent surgery due to sigmoid colon perforation and 7 patients due to intractability of medical management. The perforated case received colon segmental resection and the other 7 patients recieved total protocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis. One patient expired postoperatively due to pneumonia and sepsis. One patient is still on medical management because of mild persistent hematochezia after surgery. The other operated patients are showing good prognosis without any management. Pediatric ulcerative colitis patients can be surgically managed if the patient is intractable to medical management or if complications such as perforation is present. Total protocolectomy & ileal pouch-anal anastomosis is thought to be the adequate surgical method.