Abstract
Over the last 100 years, various surgical treatments for ulcerative colitis have been tried, developed and improved. For the first 50 years roughly until World War II, the main treatments were colonic irrigation and bowel rest, with construction of an ileostomy or appendicostomy, which was recognized as inadequate in many cases. Thereafter, colonic resection became the standard treatment. At first, proctocolectomy and ileostomy was accepted, then anal preserving methods, such as total colectomy and ileorectal anastomosis, or proctocolectomy and ileal pouch anal anastomosis followed. At present, the pouch operation, which provides complete eradication of illness and functional preservation, is the primary choice in most specialized institutions.
