J pouch??

[Buckeye]

Hey guys I have a question. I have been reading several topics and I have noticed several people talking about J pouches with Rectal cancer. I to have had Rectal cancer, but my surgeon reconnected my colon and what was left of my rectum together without a J pouch. My question is why do some people have J pouches and others like me not? The thing is a lot of people that have J pouches seem to have more problems then just a straight connection like mine.

[Ehut]

I think it largely depends on how high or low the cancer is in the rectum. For me, about half of the rectum was spared, which allows decent performance with a straight connect.

[tarheelmom]

I think it depends on your anatomy. My surgeon's plan was to do a j-pouch but once he was in my pelvis, he thought a pouch could increase the probability of a fistula. His view was the pouch helps for the first year, but after that studies have shown no difference to a straight connection.

[Swirdfish]

I think it depends on your anatomy. My surgeon's plan was to do a j-pouch but once he was in my pelvis, he thought a pouch could increase the probability of a fistula. His view was the pouch helps for the first year, but after that studies have shown no difference to a straight connection.

My surgeon said the same thing. No j pouch here. He said they may cause more issues at the bend and after a year it's pretty much the same.