There are lots of types of bowel surgery. Here we look at bowel resection – an operation to remove part of your bowel. You might need to have this type of surgery if:

• your bowel has been affected by a condition, such as bowel cancer or diverticular disease
• you have inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis

Your bowel (also called your intestine) is made up of your large and small bowels. The information here is about surgery for your large bowel, which you may also hear called your colon.

Types of bowel surgery

The exact procedure you have will depend on what condition you have and how much of your bowel is affected.

An operation to remove part of your large bowel is called a colectomy. Types of this kind of surgery include:

• Total colectomy – an operation to remove all of your large bowel
• Proctocolectomy – your surgeon will remove your large bowel and back passage (rectum)
• Hemicolectomy – an operation to remove either the left or right side of your large bowel (see diagram, below)
• Sigmoid colectomy – surgery to remove the part of your bowel that’s closest to your back passage (see diagram, below)
• Transverse colectomy – surgery to remove the middle part of your large bowel (see diagram, below)

You may need to have all or a part of your rectum (back passage) removed – this is known as proctectomy.
Your surgeon will talk with you about the most appropriate procedure for you.
Your care may not be quite as we describe here, as it will be designed to meet your individual needs. But you’ll meet the surgeon carrying out your procedure beforehand to discuss what will be involved.