Surgical alternatives for ulcerative colitis.

There is no medical cure of ulcerative colitis except for the removal of the entire large intestine, or at least its mucosa. It is unknown as to what percentage of patients with ulcerative colitis present for surgical correction, and the potential for surgery in turn usually is related to the extent of large intestine involved. This article explores new alternatives that are available so that proctocolectomy and ileostomy are no longer the sole option for patients with ulcerative colitis.