Colon Resection (Colon Removal)

What is a colon resection?

A colon resection is surgery to remove part or all of the colon. The colon, also called the large bowel, is part of the digestive system.

When is it done?

A colon resection may be done to treat problems such as:

• colon cancer
• diverticulitis
• abscess
• blockage in the colon (bowel obstruction)
• volvulus, which is a twisted loop of intestine
• inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease.

How do I prepare for this procedure?

Plan for your care and recovery after the operation. Find someone to drive you home from the hospital. Allow for time to rest. Try to find people to help you with your day-to-day duties while you recover.

Follow your healthcare provider's instructions about not smoking before and after the procedure. Smokers heal more slowly after surgery. They are also more likely to have breathing problems during surgery. For these reasons, if you are a smoker, you should quit at least 2 weeks before the procedure. It is best to quit 6 to 8 weeks before surgery.

Give your surgeon a list of your current medicines. If you need a minor pain reliever before surgery, choose acetaminophen (Tylenol). Aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen can cause extra bleeding during surgery. If you are taking daily aspirin for a medical condition, ask your provider if you need to stop taking it before your surgery.

The night before the surgery you will be put on a liquid diet. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight and the morning before the procedure. Do not even drink coffee, tea, or water.

Before your surgery you will need to clean out your colon. There are several ways to do this. For example:

• You may be given an enema.
• You may need to drink a solution that cleans out your intestines.

Follow any other instructions your healthcare provider gives you.

What happens during the procedure?

You will be given a general anesthetic. A general anesthetic will relax your muscles and put you to sleep. It will prevent you from feeling pain during the operation.

Your surgeon will perform either open surgery or laparoscopic surgery.

• Laparoscopic surgery is done with just 3 or 4 small cuts (incisions). Your surgeon will put a camera and tools through these cuts to look inside the abdominal cavity to remove the diseased part of the colon.
• Open surgery (called a laparotomy) is done with a much larger incision.

Your surgeon will cut out the part of the colon that is diseased, and then sew the remaining pieces of the colon back together. The cut made in your skin and abdomen will be closed with sutures (stitches) and staples.

What happens after the procedure?

After surgery, you will be given medicines to help relieve pain after the surgery. You will be checked to see when your intestines begin to work again. It usually takes 1 to 2 days after surgery. Your caregivers will ask if you have passed gas or had a bowel movement, which is a sign that the intestines are working. This means you can begin to eat--liquids at first, then soft foods.

Most people stay 3 to 7 days in the hospital after the surgery (3 to 5 for a laparoscopic surgery and 5 to 7 for an open surgery). During this time you will be given instructions for keeping your surgical area clean. You will also learn how to apply and change the bandages.

When you are ready to go home, you will be given instructions on:

• what to eat
• how active you can be
• how to take your pain medicine
• when to see your surgeon for a checkup
• when to call the surgeon or your healthcare provider if you are having problems.

During the first 2 weeks after the operation, you will be encouraged to do light activity, such as walking. Avoid all heavy activity for the first 6 weeks, including lifting. After that time, you may gradually do heavier work, according to your provider's instructions.

What are the benefits of this procedure?

• If you had cancer, cancerous growth in the colon will be removed.
• If the reason for the surgery was a problem such as Crohn’s disease, you should have less pain after the surgery.
• If the surgery was done for infection (such as an abscess), the infected area will be removed.

What are the risks associated with this procedure?

• There are some risks when you have general anesthesia. Discuss these risks with your healthcare provider.
• You may develop an infection or bleeding.
• Another part of your body may be injured during the surgery, such as a ureter (the tube that drains urine from the kidney to the bladder), other parts of the bowel, or the bladder.

When should I call my healthcare provider?

Call your provider if:

• You develop a fever after leaving the hospital.
• Your wound starts to drain.
• Your wound becomes warm to the touch.
• Your wound has redness or swelling.
• You are having more pain.

Call during office hours if:

• You have questions about the procedure or its result.
• You want to make another appointment.