Is ghost ileostomy an effective method in various indications for colorectal surgery?

Abstract

Diverting stoma has many complications and requires another operation. Ghost ileostomy is an option for occasional cases. We aimed to present the clinical data and early postoperative outcomes of our patients who had undergone ghost ileostomy. Ghost ileostomy was performed in 58 patients, depending on the level of the anastomosis, together with the experience and intraoperative decision of the surgeon. The patients were evaluated in terms of comorbidities, type of colorectal disease, and postoperative complications. Thirty-eight patients were male, the mean age was 59 +/- 9 years, and the mean body mass index was 27 +/- 5 kg/m(2). Forty-six patients in whom a ghost ileostomy procedure was performed had sigmoid colon or proximal/middle rectal cancer, whereas eight patients had sigmoid diverticulitis, and four patients had ulcerative colitis. Anastomotic leakage was identified in 3 (5.1%) patients. In one patient, laparoscopic peritoneal lavage was performed, and ghost ileostomy was converted to diverting stoma, whereas in the other two patients, ghost ileostomy was converted to diverting stoma under local anesthesia. Ghost ileostomy can easily be converted to diverting stoma in some patients with no need for general anesthesia to reduce the morbidity of anastomotic leakage. With this method in selected patients, it is possible to avoid diverting stoma and unwanted complications of ileostomy.