What is J pouch surgery?
J pouch surgery is a procedure to form an internal pouch from your small intestine. Your body uses this pouch to store stool—your body’s waste products—if you’ve had your large intestine removed. J pouch surgery is also called ileal pouch reconstruction or J-pouch reconstruction. During surgery, your physician will create a new rectum using your ileum, the last part of the small intestine that attaches to the start of the large intestine. One of the main advantages of J pouch surgery is that it eliminates the need for a permanent external pouch to collect waste. However, patients must still have an intact anal canal to be a candidate for J pouch surgery.
