An ileostomy is a surgical procedure of diconnecting the small intestine from the large intestine (colon) and running the end of the small intestine out through an opening made in the belly so waste can travel out through there. In some cases the colon is removed and others the colon is sealed off and left in to allow it to heal from a possible injury and will be reconnected later. Where the small intestine is routed through the belly (known as the stoma) an appliance (pouch system) is worn to collect waste. It is basically the same set up as a colostomy it is just that a colostomy is where a portion of the colon (large intestine) is routed through the belly.
The main reason why most of us have this setup is due to some intestinal disease progressing to a point where the use of medicines no longer worked. This could be UC, Crohn's, colonic inertia and a host of other diseases. Other reasons are injuries from accidents where the colon was damaged to a point of not being able to function. I got my ileostomy due to having UC and medicines having no effect on it. The prednisone I was on caused an almost grave situation so I elected to have the surgery so I would never have to go through that again.
Total Colectomy with End Ileostomy May 27th, 2008