Colectomy or Resection of the Colon/Rectum:

Medical conditions or « lesions » of the colon are relatively frequent, such as polyps, tumours, and complications with diverticula. They may require an operation called a « colectomy ».

 A colectomy consists in removing part or all of the diseased colon.

Although the colon does not regenerate after a colectomy, the remaining part of the colon compensates quite well for the function of the part removed.

 The function of the colon is essentially to absorb water and store non-absorbed food products in preparation for their elimination.

 Once the adaptation period has passed, even the removal of more than half of the colon is generally well tolerated without debilitating functional problems.

 When a lesion located in the colon has to be removed, for oncological, anatomical and vascularisation reasons, the surgeon removes the whole section of the colon affected by the lesion, along with the related arteries, veins and lymphatic vessels.

 The definition of a right hemicolectomy is a resection carried out for lesions located at the level of the caecum, the ascending colon,  and the right half of the  transverse colon.

 A left hemicolectomy is the name of the procedure of surgical resection of the lesions localised on the left half of  the descending/sigmoid/transverse colon.

 The operating time for a  hemicolectomy varies between 1h and 3h30, depending on the weight of the patient and the difficulties encountered.

 Active support and progressive food intake are necessary for recuperation.

 In general, surgery for a  partial colectomy by keyhole surgery takes a little longer.

However, convalescence is a lot quicker.