Pouchitis is swelling and irritation, called inflammation, in the lining of a pouch made during surgery to remove the colon. The pouch is made to treat a bowel disease called ulcerative colitis and some other diseases.
Many people with ulcerative colitis need to have their colons taken out. Surgeons use a procedure called ileoanal anastomosis (J-pouch) surgery to connect the bowel again after taking out the colon.
In J-pouch surgery, surgeons use the end of the small intestine, called the ileum, to make a pouch shaped like the letter J. Surgeons attach the pouch inside the body to the area just above the anus. The pouch holds stool before it leaves the body.
Pouchitis is a complication of J-pouch surgery. It happens in nearly one-half of the people who have the procedure.
