What Is an Abdominal Stoma?

An abdominal stoma---named after the Greek word for "mouth"---is an opening that lets feces or urine to pass through the abdominal wall into a plastic pouch. A surgeon may need to create a stoma to address medical conditions that affect the bowels, using a procedure called an "ostomy." An abdominal stoma may be temporary or permanent.

Types

• The type of ostomy procedure you receive depends on the part of your body that attaches to the opening, according to the United Ostomy Associations of America. A colostomy is an opening from the colon, the lowest part of the large intestine. An ileostomy is an opening from the small intestine. A urostomy bypasses the bladder by allowing urine to pass from the kidneys out through the stoma.

Causes

• Inflammatory bowel disease and rectal cancer are the two conditions that most commonly lead to permanent ostomy, according to the American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons. Urostomy usually treats a diseased or defective bladder, according to the United Ostomy Associations of America.

Considerations

• If you need an abdominal stoma you may imagine that your life will change forever, but people with stomas often find they can continue normal activity after surgery. Once your system recovers and your doctor gives you the go-ahead, you can eat normally, participate in sports and resume having sex, according to MayoClinic.com.