How much of the small intestine is used to make a j-pouch? I had 30 cm of small bowel removed during surgery for a necrotic bowel obstruction and am wondering how much I have left. Thanks so much for you input.
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30-40 cm of ileum are used for J-pouch construction. The ileum is 3.5-4.5 meters long. The whole small intestine is about 6 meters long. You should have plenty to spare. Do you know which part of your small intestine was removed?
Hi Scott,
Thanks for the information. The necrotic bowel was just above my j-pouch, so I am assuming it was ileum. Luckily, my pouch was unharmed.
In a second surgery a few months later, there was about 5 cm removed due to scar tissue causing an obstruction around the ileostomy closure site.
I hope you are well and appreciate the information.
Barbara
The terminal ileum has some specialized functions, and it’s hard to know how much that functionality may have been disrupted. Make sure your doc keeps an eye on your B12 levels over the years. Good luck!