BACKGROUNDThe incidence of chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC) in China is remarkably increasing, while little information on surgical treatment has been reported. This study aimed to completely describe and analyze the clinical outcome of restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for CUC in China.

METHODSNinety-five consecutive patients, who suffered CUC and had surgical indications, were carefully selected. All patients underwent IPAA. Data on patient characteristics, surgical indications, surgical details, postoperative complications, functional outcome, and quality of life were collected.

RESULTSThe mean patient age at the time of the operation was 32 years. Twenty-nine (31%) patients underwent an emergency operation, and 66 (69%) underwent elective procedures. Four patients with severe dysplasia underwent operations, but no carcinoma was histologically confirmed. A two-stage operation was performed in 87 (92%) patients, and a hand-sewn technique was applied in 88 (93%) patients. Sixteen patients (17.0%) experienced early complications, and there was a significant difference between the emergency surgery group and the elective group (31.0% vs. 10.6%, respectively; P < 0.01). Five (5.3%) patients developed pouchitis as a late complication. The mean stool frequency after the operation was 4.6 (2-11) during the first 24 hours and 1.5 (0-4) overnight. According to the Kirwan grading scale, 87 (91.8%) patients showed satisfactory anal continence function. The quality of life improved significantly from a preoperative mean value of 0.28-0.61 before ileostomy closure to 0.78 after ileostomy closure (P < 0.01) according to the Cleveland Global Quality of Life index.

CONCLUSIONSIPAA is an effective and safe surgical procedure for patients with CUC in China. However, some characteristics, such as the low incidence of pouchitis, require further study.