Ileostomy output of gas and feces before and after conversion from conventional to reservoir ileostomy

Abstract
In 28 patients who had previously had a proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis, the ileostomy output of feces was determined before and after conversion to continent reservoir ileostomy, as was the output of gas in 20 of the patients. The median output of feces/24 hours collected in the hospital was 576 g before and 692 g after conversion (P less than 0.05); when collected at home the corresponding figures were 734 g and 740 g, respectively. In the majority of patients, the change in fecal ileostomy output after the conversion was not considerable, while in a few patients there was a marked increase. The fecal output was 24 percent (P less than 0.01) and 11 percent (P less than 0.01) larger at home than in hospital before and after conversion, respectively. The proportion dry weight of ileostomy discharge decreased after conversion (P less than 0.01). The median gas volume in the ileostomy output/24 hours was 1,664 ml before and 1,450 ml after conversion. The gas constituted 58 percent of the output and is significant with respect to the required reservoir capacity. Recording the emptying volumes and frequency in patients with reservoir ileostomy showed that, in general, patients with large output expand their reservoir capacity instead of increasing their emptying frequency.