Surgical treatment of ulcerative colitis in children.

Our finding in 100 patients indicate that elective surgical treatment of ulcerative colitis in children has a low mortality rate in contrast to emergency surgery (2.3% versus 23%). Morbidity associated with these procedures is moderate and appears to be decreasing (13%), as shown by the comparison between the experience in the 1960s and that in the 1970s. Results with the newer surgical procedures have been encouraging; 60% of patients with Brooke ileostomy have been very satisfied as compared with 90% of patients with Kock pouch and of those with rectal mucosectomy with ileoanal anastomosis. Ileorectostomy was not a satisfactory procedure in this series. Additionally, after surgical treatment, the median height percentile increased from the thirty-ninth to fifty-seventh percentile. Finally, and important, 96% of the patients in this series reported that their general health at follow-up was good to excellent and that they had minimal limitation in their activities.