TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - CLOSURE OF COLOSTOMY A1 - Ellison, E. Christopher A1 - Zollinger, Robert M. PY - 2016 T2 - Zollinger's Atlas of Surgical Operations, 10e AB - In every instance an interlude that may be as long as 10 weeks should be allowed between the performance of a colostomy and its closure. This enables the patient’s general condition to improve, the site of the colostomy to become walled off, local immunity to the infected contents of the intestine to develop, any infection in the wound to subside, and the wounds from technical procedures carried out on the distal colon to heal. This time may be drastically shortened if the colostomy was performed to decompress or exteriorize a traumatized normal colon. Occasionally, the colostomy partially or completely closes itself after the obstruction has been removed, which permits the fecal current to return to its normal route through the site of the anastomosis. Closure should be delayed until the edema and induration of the bowel about the colostomy opening have subsided and the intestine has resumed a normal appearance. The patency of any anastomosis of the intestine distal to the colostomy should be assured by contrast study using fluoroscopy. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1127272669 ER -