Background: Temporary ileostomy reduces the incidence of severe anastomotic leakage and postoperative mortality. However, little is known about ileostomy-related complications in older adults.
Purpose: To clarify the safety and feasibility of temporary ileostomy for rectal cancer in older patients.
Methods: Data were collected from a prospectively created database and complemented by secondary chart review for consecutive patients with rectal malignancy who underwent curative proctectomy with diverting loop ileostomy between 2013 and 2018. Ileostomy construction and closure were compared between two groups (defined as elderly and non-elderly patients). Data for 22 patients who were 75 years of age and older (elderly group) and 160 patients who were younger than 75 years (non-elderly group) were analyzed.
Results: The median maximum fecal output was significantly higher in the non-elderly group compared with the elderly group. No significant differences were observed between the two groups in postoperative intravenous hydration, creatinine ratio, and ileostomy-related complication rate. Although the elderly group had a higher rate of early stoma closure, the causes were not related to those complications.
Conclusion: Temporary ileostomy was a safe and feasible procedure in this population of older patients with rectal malignancies.