ABSTRACT
Approximately 20,800 people undergo stoma formation every year in England (1) . The current number of people with stomas in the United Kingdom is not known precisely, but almost 30 years ago 120,000 people had a stoma. With the advent of new surgical techniques and earlier diagnosis, these fi gures have fallen to approximately 100,000. While the number of patients with temporary stomas has tripled over the last decade, up to 50% of stomas may never be reversed (2) . Creation of a stoma is often but a small part at the end of an extensive operative procedure. It is, however, a part of the operation that the patient will have to deal with on a daily basis and deserves the surgeon’s full attention. A poorly functioning stoma is, at best, a daily inconvenience for the patient and, at worst, a source of major morbidity. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the classifi cation, techniques, and complications associated with creating intestinal and urological stomas.
