– General Information

Colectomy or Resection of the Colon/Rectum

The diseases or “lesions” of the colonist are relatively frequent: polyps, tumours, (and also complications of diverticula) can require an operation known as “colectomy”.

The colectomy consists in removing a part or totality of the sick colonist.

Although it is not regenerated after a colectomy, the remaining colonist compensates for rather well the function of the removed part.

The function of the colonist is primarily the absorption of water and storage, before elimination, of not reabsorbed food residues.

Once the period of adaptation passed, even the resection of more than half of the colonist in general is well tolerated without invalidating functional disorders.

When one owes réséquer a lesion located in the colonist, for oncologic, anatomical reasons and of vascularization, the surgeon removes all the segment of the colonist who carries the lesion with the arteries, the veins and the lymphatic vessels which are intended to him.

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

The left hemicolectomy is the name of the procedure of resection of the lesions located on left half of the transverse, colonist downward and sigmoid.

The operational time of a hemicolectomy is variable between 1:00 and 3.30 H according to the weight of the patient and the encountered difficulties. A mobilization activates and a progressive refeeding facilitate recovery.

An intervention of colectomy by laparoscopy is in general a little longer.

On the other hand, convalescence is much faster.

ANIMATION SURGERY COLON