The two most common forms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease are Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis (UC).

The primary symptoms of active disease are urgent and frequent diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever and severe pain when blockages occur due to strictures.There is a low mortality, but high impact on patients’ ability to lead a normal life, with interruptions and limitations to education, work and family roles.

Patients are usually treated with medications for acute relapses and for maintenance of remission.

Surgical intervention ranges from resection of strictures and dealing with fistulas to removing part or the whole bowel, with most UC patients who have a colectomy being offered an ileo-anal pouch to replace the rectum (reservoir).

Dr El-Khoury will work closely with the gastroenterologists, pathologists and radiologists to formulate a plan for each individual patients

Dr El-Khoury will discuss the operation detailing the indications, the risks and the benefits of the surgery and will also supplement his discussions with the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons information on the surgery.