Eighty consecutive emergency and urgent colectomies for ulcerative colitis were performed. One-stage total proctocolectomy was performed in 37 patients, with a 9.1% mortality; ileostomy with subtotal colectomy was performed in 43, with a 7.0% mortality. The overall mortality was 7.5%. Postoperative morbidity after total proctocolectomy (mean postoperative hospitalization, 27.6 days; non-septic complication rate, 29.4%; septic complication rate, 29.4%) was not substantially different from that after subtotal colectomy (postoperative hospitalization, 33.3 days; nonseptic complications, 45.0%; septic complications, 35.0%). Survivors of subtotal colectomy required abdominal-perineal resection of the colorectal remnant in 75.7% of patients, and no patient had successful subsequent ileorectal anastomosis. It is suggested that one-stage total proctocolectomy be adopted as the surgical procedure of choice in emergency or urgent operations for ulcerative colitis.