| Introduction : What is a Cecostomy Catheter (C-Tube)? | |
 A cecostomy is a catheter that is inserted into the cecum, which is the
first part of the large bowel and is usually located within the right lower quadrant of
the abdomen. The natural passage of food is into the mouth, through the stomach and
small intestines into the cecum, then through the rest of the large bowel (ascending,
transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon) into the rectum, and out the anus. Since
a cecostomy is inserted into this first part of large bowel, patients with fecal
incontinence (or their caregiver) can use the cecostomy to administer a small-volume
phosphate enema followed by a saline enema to quickly and completely evacuate and cleanse
the large intestine, emptying through the anal opening.In this way, potentially embarrassing accidents are avoided, and the patient often gains greater independence and freedom to pursue activities previously prevented by fear of incontinent episodes. The C-tube remains in the colon and provides a comfortable, convenient way to fully cleanse the bowel with an enema. Emptying the colon in this regular, predictable way can prevent unexpected leakage. After their C-tube insertion, some patients are able to give their own enemas for the first time. All of our patients have described almost complete resolution of their fecal incontinence with few unexpected accidents. Placement of a cecostomy tube is a minimally invasive procedure involving insertion of a temporary cecostomy catheter (C-tube) into the patient's cecum through a single puncture into the skin. Approximately six weeks later, the patient returns for a short, simple outpatient procedure to replace the temporary catheter with a tiny more permanent tube. |
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