Curious about small bowel resection?

[TacoBot3000]

I'll be having my ileostomy taken down and resectioned in the next few weeks and I just had a question that I couldn't seem to find an answer to on the internet. I guess what I'm confused about is the healing process within. Both ends of the bowel that are going to be reconnected have had more than sufficient time (~15 weeks) to heal up and get over the inflammation, so how is it that they will be able to regrow into each other to form one consistent tube again? I realize that sutures or staples are used during surgery to keep them together, but is that what keeps them that way from then on? If my question seems difficult to understand, think of it this way; If I had gashes on both my hands and bound them together for a long time, they'd eventually scab up and grow together, right? But the same wouldn't happen if I didn't have any injuries. Since both ends of bowel have healed, how can you put two pieces of healthy tissue together and expect them to grow back together?

 

[DustyKat]

The staples are not what keeps it forever together, they are only useful in the first phases of healing. An anastomosis heals like any other wound and will result in scar tissue, this is why, down the track, many people suffer with narrowing at the point of the join.

Take a look at this article about the pathology of wound healing, the GI tract and anastomosis......

http://www.nitisurgical.com/UserFiles/File/1-Healing%20in%20GI%20anastomosis.pdf

Dusty.

 

[handle]

hey TacoBot3000 - I think I get what you're saying! I would imagine they will 'trim' the ends before reconnecting, and then they will heal, as DustyKat explained.
good luck.

 

[TacoBot3000]

Thanks DustyKat and Handle! This is exactly the stuff I was wondering about, though I still do have one minor question. Do you know what happens to the staples/sutures after the body takes over? Do they dissolve/fall out or possibly just remain there despite having no purpose anymore?

 

[DustyKat]

The staples remain in place. Most surgeons use staples because in the past staples resulted in far less complications post op...leakage. With advances in suturing techniques this is no longer the case but consensus still seems to be that staples provide a better outcome.

It is the same with sutures, they remain in place. It is possible to have dissolvable sutures though.

Dusty.