New method of bowel stoma formation.

A new method of stoma formation by using a new device has been described. The technical details of this procedure were first tested on 10 autopsy subjects before being applied in the clinical setting. After the autopsy trial was completed, the device was utilized for colostomy or ileostomy in 18 patients. The postoperative course was uncomplicated in all but one patient. Follow-up studies up to 2 years postoperatively revealed satisfactorally functioning stomas in all of the patients. The stoma was surrounded only by a thin, rather insignificant, scar. No cases of stenosis, prolapse, or parastomal hernia were found. Stoma formation with the device permits the creation of a precise abdominal wall aperture that corresponds to the size of the bowel and it prevents abdominal muscles from being cut. The preserved muscles can act like a sphincter around the stoma. Lastly, the procedure is simple, quick, and less traumatic than comparable procedures, and the healing conditions are optimal.