Temporary closure of colostomy with suture before colostomy takedown improves the postoperative outcomes

PURPOSE: Temporary loop colostomy is a common surgical procedure used to avoid complications in high-risk distal anastomosis as well as pelvic inflammation. Issues regarding postoperative outcomes of colostomy takedown have been widely discussed in the literature, wound infection especially. Temporary closure of colostomy with suture before takedown was adopted in our study, which provided excellent traction to aid mobilization of stomy and avoided stool spillage to downgrade the wound classification to “clean contamination.” We aimed to determine the effects of the procedure on postoperative outcomes. METHODS: This was a prospective case-control study at a single tertiary medical center. Patients presenting for elective colostomy takedown were included. Allis clamp (n = 50) or silk suture (n = 60) was applied to mobilize the colostomy, and results were compared. Operative time and wound infection rate were measured as primary postoperative outcomes. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to demonstrate the association between the two groups and outcomes. RESULTS: In univariate analyses, significantly shorter operative time (median = 57 min, p = 0.003) and lower postoperative wound infection rate (3%, p = 0.03) were noted in the group receiving silk suture. Multivariate analyses results showed that silk suture was significantly associated with both operative time (B = − 8.5, p = 0.01) and wound infection (odds ratio = 0.18, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: With the advantage of enhancing traction and decreasing contamination, the temporary closure of colostomy with suture improved takedown outcomes, including a shorter operative time and lower wound infection rate.