This will usually be several weeks or months after the initial surgery, or sometimes even longer. There's no time limit for having an ileostomy reversed, and some people may live with one for several years before it's reversed.

How successful are ileostomy reversals?

Rates of stoma closure amongst patients with defunctioning ileostomies following anterior resection have been variably reported, from 68% to 75.1% [14, 15], and as high as 91.5% in one report [19]. Our study population demonstrates 75.7% reversal rate, which is within this range.

Is there a time limit on stoma reversal?

The optimum time for reversal is between 3 and 12 months following stoma surgery. This is to ensure that you still have good muscle tone and that you bowel is in a good healthy state for surgery.