When is Bowel Resection (Removal) Necessary?

In a perfect world, every body part would last as long as you do. However, sometimes cancer or illness forces people to make sacrifices that are not ideal. This is possible with your bowels, for example, requiring bowel resection surgery. Fortunately, many others have gone through this ordeal before you and achieved excellent results.

Dr. Dimitri Alden and his team in New York treat patients who require surgical intervention with skill and compassion. Although we put forth great effort to conserve your organs, there are times when they become more of a burden than a help, and your colon may fall into that category. Let’s examine the circumstances in which colon resection might be necessary.

Causes for Needing Bowel Resection Surgery

The bowel is any part of the digestive tract, like the rectum or small or large intestine. A bowel resection’s primary use is for treating intestinal disorders and obstructions in the large intestine (colon).

Conditions and disorders of the digestive tract pose a severe health concern. They can impede the rectum and colon’s normal function, resulting in pain and other unpleasant sensations. For example, the following circumstances could demand bowel resection surgery.

Digestive Issues

Various gastrointestinal disorders can cause your colon to malfunction, such as diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease and ulcerative colitis. If these conditions are not treated, they can get worse to the point where they cause colonic bleeding, pain, blockages and other symptoms that make life much less enjoyable. In the worst cases, a total or partial colectomy (removing all or part of the bowel) may be the only way to get your health back and give you much-needed relief.

For example, blockages in the digestive tract stop the body from absorbing nutrients, getting enough blood and getting rid of waste. The tissue dies if blood flow is cut off. Another example is diverticulitis, which can lead to severe infection or perforation.

Cancer

Nearly 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer annually, with many subsequently undergoing surgery to remove the malignant tissue. Removing cancerous cells is an essential initial step in preventing the disease from spreading.

Surgery for colon cancer is based on the extensive nature of the cancer. In some cases, we only have to take out the polyps that could be harmful. But if the disease has spread to the rest of your colon, we will have to take out all of the affected tissue. With robot-assisted surgery and other cutting-edge techniques, we can remove cancerous tissue and nearby lymph nodes from a patient undergoing bowel removal. This makes it less likely that the disease will spread to other body parts.

Do You Need a Bowel Resection Surgery?

We are well-equipped to help you through the process of deciding to have all or part of your colon removed through surgery. The caring members of our staff are here to address any concerns and questions you may have about colon surgery. Schedule a consultation with Dr. Alden today.