Loop ileostomy: Technical aspects and complications - Invited commentary

The use of a covering loop ileostomy or a loop colostomy is common after il eoanal anastomosis or low colorectal or coloanal anastomosis after a low an terior resection. As the authors have stated, the rationale for using a div erting stoma in low anastomoses is to reduce not the number of leaks but th e consequences of a leak. What they have shown in this study is that the st oma itself is accompanied by lots of complications not only at its creation but also when it is taken down. Those complications have to be taken into account when comparing the function and outcome.