Surgical strategies in ulcerative colitis New perspectives

Ulcerative colitis is a burdensome chronic inflammatory bowel disease that has a serious impact on the lives of mainly young adults. Fortunately, the medical and surgical treatment of ulcerative colitis is a continuously developing field. The aim of this thesis was to contribute to improvements in the surgical treatment and outcomes of patients with ulcerative colitis. Part I of this thesis focusses on the surgical management of ulcerative colitis in the biological era, indication shift for colectomy from therapy refractory disease to colorectal cancer and postoperative outcomes following ileal pouch–anal anastomosis (IPAA). In Part II, the effect of a laparoscopic appendectomy on the disease course of patients with ulcerative colitis and the potential underlying mechanisms between the appendix and ulcerative colitis are addressed.