General & Colorectal Surgery

Your colon, or large intestine, is the part of your gut that connects your small intestine with your rectum (the end of your large bowel) and anus (back passage). The term colorectal surgery, or ‘bowel surgery’, includes several operations in these areas.

If a section of your colon needs to be removed, the ends are usually sewn or stapled together. Sometimes your surgeon will bring the end of your colon to the surface of your abdomen creating a stoma (artificial opening) enabling faeces to be passed into a bag attached to your skin. This is called a colostomy. It may be a temporary measure (which your surgeon can reverse after your colon recovers) or could be permanent.