What Is A Prolapsed Stoma?

A prolapsed stoma telescopes out through itself to cause abnormal tightening. It can be distressful to look at a prolapsed stoma. If you have this stoma, you are going to have to bring some change in your stoma care regimen.

Prolapsing of stoma happens more in people with colostomies than people with ileostomies, and it is more frequent in loop colostomies. It further narrows down to colostomies in the transverse colon.

The exact reasons for the prolapsing of a stoma are unknown, but some factors seem to contribute to the development of a prolapsed stoma. Those factors are:

• Poor abdominal muscle tone
• Obesity or weight gain
• Pregnancy
• The surgical technique during the creation of the stoma
• Increased pressure within the abdomen

Prolapsing may influence the way you care for your stoma. In some cases, the prolapse may be positional – it could be present or absent depending on your body posture while you sit, stand, or lie down. You may see the prolapse when you stand, but the stoma may return to its usual size when you lie down. This characteristic of the prolapsed stoma is known as spontaneous reduction.

A prolapsed stoma might not receive adequate blood supply, which may cause a change in the color or warmth of the stoma. Changes occurring in a prolapsed stoma as a result of poor blood supply may include small ulceration on the surface and more significant changes in the color or temperature. The prolapsing can also result in a loss of the stoma function. It might start showing signs of obstruction. In that case, you may need to consult your doctor immediately.

You may need to consider changes to your routine care when you have a prolapsed stoma. Aside from monitoring the color, temperature, and function of the stoma, you may need to consider changes to the ostomy pouching system that you use. With a larger prolapse, you may need to use a pouch that is large enough to accommodate both your stoma and the volume of the stomal output. You may need to empty or change your pouch more often. You may also need to have an alternate flange that will not cause trauma to your stoma.

In some cases, the prolapsed stoma can be very mobile (i.e. it slides in and out with the change in the body posture). It can raise a risk of lacerations developing on the stoma. These lacerations are not painful, but they can still cause bleeding of the stoma. You may want to adjust the opening of your flange to avoid these lacerations. You can do it by measuring the stoma when it is at its largest. You may also consider using a moldable flange that allows its opening to adjust to the changing size of the stoma.