CT Scan Shows Blockage Near Ileostomy

My gastro doctor says there could be scar tissue that may need to be operated on and removed. Has anyone had a partial blockage condition of the ileostomy?

Martles, may I ask what your symptoms were that led you to this CAT scan? For several years, I've often had pain after I eat. It goes away with the dispelling of gas. I've often wondered about scar tissue but was never told I have it.

Yep, last November. I had a couple of narrowings due to scar tissue resulting in partial blockage with pretty uncomfortable symptoms. I feel much better since I took care of it.

When I had a procedure about 5 years ago, the tissue was cleared in the doctor's office suite and took less than an hour or so. The results were good; symptoms subsided after a few days and haven't reoccurred. I hope whatever goes well for you.

Hi Martles, yes I had that problem after battling Crohn's and inflammation causing scarring. I had resection surgery a few years ago, and also my stoma moved from the right to the left side.

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I had a blockage with my ileostomy, and they put an NG tube in me and gave me no food for 4 days, and it cleared up on its own after that. I was lucky. But when I had my hernia repair, there was a lot of scar tissue that they had to remove. I am still recovering from that. I had incisional hernias and a parastomal hernia repaired on May 15th. It still hurts. And by all means, if you have surgery, don't sneeze. Or hold your gut tightly when you do. Otherwise, you will be in a world of pain!

After my ileostomy surgery, the hospital sent me home with a pillow—just a regular pillow. The nurse told me if I had to sneeze or cough, to hold the pillow to my belly. It did help!

Thanks for responding. What procedure did they need to do to remove the scar tissue? Surgery at the stoma?

L

Hello Martles,
Regarding your question about “My gastro doctor says there could be scar tissue that may need to be operated on and removed. Has anyone had a partial blockage condition of the ileostomy?”
I had repetitive abdominal cramps with partial blockage off and on for several years and without a good diagnosis of why it had been happening. The usual explanation (without evidence) was that it was due to “abdominal adhesions” pulling on the small intestine. Adhesions form as scar tissue after damage, and they are difficult to operate on because they are loaded with small blood vessels, and there can be considerable blood loss during surgery. The problem is with diagnosis before surgery. Adhesions cannot normally be observed with any of the regularly used imaging procedures (including MRI and CT scans).
In January 2025, long-lasting, severe pain led me to the Emergency Room at NYU Medical Center, where I have long gone for medical care (this is where I had my original colectomy and ileostomy for ulcerative colitis). Specialists are sent to the ER for complex cases; a surgeon who visited me from NYU's “Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center” told me that his reading of my CT scan showed that my problem was due to abdominal adhesions that required major surgery for removal. (Not something I was looking forward to!)
But I was also visited by a young trainee surgeon, who had looked at my CT results with his boss, Dr. Isabelle Le Leannec, the specialist in colon and rectal surgery in the Dept. of Surgery at NYU Med. Center. When I eventually met with her, she told me that she had operated on other cases like this before and just what she had diagnosed from the CT that had been sent to her. When the small intestine passes through the abdominal body wall, it goes through a tunnel that had been cut out for the passage of the intestine through the body wall and then to the outside of the body, where it was made into a stoma. After many years, the space between the intestine and its passageway through the body wall had been filled with fibrous tissue known as fascia. Surgery simply involved cleaning out the space between the intestine and the body wall to give the intestine more room to expand. I had the surgery. The intestine was then pulled out a few inches, and a new stoma was created. I spent one night in the hospital and went home the next morning.
I don't know if you have the same issue, but I think that Dr. Le Leannec is a terrific diagnostician and surgeon, and I highly recommend her. (Her office number for an appointment is 646-501-0584). I note that your address is listed as “New York,” but I don't know how far away you live from NYU or what kind of medical insurance you have. But I would give it a shot. If you would like further information, I would be happy to correspond with you. Best wishes and good luck!
JerryV

Thank you. I am associated with NYU as well. I will contact your doctor. I live only 10 blocks away. Much appreciated.

L

What is your association with NYU? Do you work there or do you see NYUMC physicians? I have done both. I was on the NYUMC faculty for 48 years and was a professor and departmental chair there before my retirement in 2011. My wife and I lived in NYU faculty housing in the Village for 40 years and raised our 2 kids there. But after retirement, we followed old friends to the Upper West Side. It's much more time-consuming for us to get across town to the East Side now, but NYU remains my second family, and we remain loyal. You will find Dr. Leannec to be a lovely lady and a skilled and compassionate physician. But NYUMC has become so "hot" that it can take months to get an appointment, as I am sure you have experienced.