ARTERIAL THROMBOSIS - A COMPLICATION OF LOOP ILEOSTOMY

Restorative proctocolectomy has become the surgical treatment of choic e in ulcerative colitis. Most commonly, this is performed as a staged procedure which includes formation of a defunctioning loop ileostomy, High output loop ileostomies are associated with both local and system ic complications. We describe two patients with loop ileostomies who d eveloped acute arterial thrombosis, a complication not previously desc ribed, thus further emphasizing the importance of careful management a nd early reversal of high output ileostomies. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepa tol 10:795-796 (C) 1998 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.