Five years ago we reported before the Western Surgical Association1 a series of single-stage proctocolectomies and ileostomies done through an abdominal incision without a perineal approach. Continued usage of this method whenever feasible in the treatment of chronic ulcerative colitis over the ensuing 5 years has brought gratifying results. Many operations have been employed for this disease and have been discarded after a short trial. A review of our series is presented to answer the question of whether or not the single-stage abdominal proctocolectomy has stood the test of time.
This report is concerned with 50 patients who required surgery for chronic ulcerative colitis during the last 8 years. Our chief interest has been in the 23 patients treated by single-stage proctocolectomy and ileostomy. These are compared with a series of 24 staged colectomies and ileostomies, the majority of which were performed before 5 years ago. In addition, in