Surgical treatment of rapidly advancing active ulcerative colitis: a case report

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease with various clinical presentation. Due to an impaired immune response, diffuse inflammation develops in the intestinal tissue, which leads to bleeding and diarrhoea. The basis for diagnosis is the clinical presentation and the result of colonoscopy which confirms the presence of inflammatory lesions in the colon. The authors present the case of a patient admitted to their department following two previous hospitalisations at other centres who was suffering from active ulcerative colitis. After bacterial aetiology of the disease was excluded and conservative treatment was attempted at a gastroenterology ward, the patient was referred to a surgical department. During the previous hospitalisation colonoscopy was performed in which a lesion was observed in the splenic flexure, which precluded the visualisation of the further part of the colon. A colonoscopy performed at the surgical department did not confirm the presence of that lesion; however, it did reveal multiple pseudopolyps. Due to rapidly progressing cachexia and anaemia and a lack of improvement following attempted pharmacological treatment, a decision was made to perform an urgent colectomy with end ileostomy. After a week-long preparation of the patient (parenteral nutrition, packed red blood cells transfusion), pancolectomy was performed. Histopathological examination confirmed acute phase ulcerative colitis. In the postoperative period massive wound infection developed, which was treated for 14 days with vacuum therapy (VAC). The patient was treated for 30 days at the surgical department. He was discharged in a good general condition and instructed to report to his outpatient care centre.