my son has a stricture just above his j-pouch in his ileum. i'm wondering if anyone has experienced anything similar. i'm guessing that a strictureplasty will be the next step. has anyone has this procedure done? i'm curious about the procedure itself, the success, the recovery, etc. really any input would be appreciated.
thanks in advance.

Depending on how fibrous the strictured area is, it is possible to perform a balloon dilation at that location without ressecting the strictured bowel.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15571580

Jan

jan,
thank you for your response and the link. we definitely won't be resecting anything! we don't need to lose any more intestines ever.

Jan,
All this stuff is new to me, though I read and hear it alot on here. What is a stricture? Is it scar tissue from the surgery that stops you from being able to empty your bowel? Also this fiscala ? Is that like a boil that forms inside and needs drained or removed? Sorry for the dumb questions! I seem to be learning by experiencing and that is no fun!! Thanks Danny

A stricture is where the internal size of the intestine is made smaller by scar tissue within its walls. This occurs where the pouch is joined (anastomosed) to the anus or where the ileostomy is reconnected. In both of these instances, there is the possibility for scar tissue to form all around the intestine, like a ring. It contracts as it forms, like a shrinking rubber band.

Strictures also occur in Crohn's disease as part of the inflammatory process.

Strictures are not the same thing as adhesions, which are internal scarring that forms between your intestines and the abdominal wall. They can cause similar symptoms of obstruction, but treatment is different.

A fistula is different. It is a tube like formation that connects two body parts that ordinarily are not connected. Usually, it starts from an abscess. The pressure from the growing abscess can stimulate the formation of a fistula in order to find a release of its contents. This can be from the tissues around the rectum to the skin, as in a perianal fistula, between the intestine and the bladder, as in an enterovesicular fistula, or to the vagina, as in a rectovaginal fistula. Fistulas can become very persistent and difficult to treat.

Jan