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Two cases of irradiation-associated carcinoma of the colon are reported and the literature reviewed. The clinical courses and operative difficulties in treating these patients are emphasized. The necessity for life-long follow-up examinations with proctoscopic and barium-enema evaluations in high-risk patients is stressed. Irradiation-associated carcinoma of the colon occurs almost exclusively in women, but should be investigated in patients of either sex who live for long periods after pelvic irradiation.

Between 1965 and 1975, 27 patients underwent surgical treatment for ileosigmoidal fistulas complicating Crohn's disease at the Cleveland Clinic. There was no death and no anastomotic leak. The preferred procedure is resection of the ileocecal area involved by Crohn's disease with ileocolic anastomosis and a separate segmental resection of the sigmoid colon with colocolic anastomosis. A covering temporary loop ileostomy is used when there is associated pelvic sepsis or small-bowel obstruction.

The temporary skin-level loop transverse colostomy has been described. Proof of its ability to divert the fecal stream totally is illustrated by complete diversion in 25 patients ingesting a postcolostomy barium meal. There was no postoperative complication.

Nine cases of duodenal fistula complicating Crohn's disease are reported. All nine patients were male. Four patients had Crohn's disease of the ileum and five had ileocolitis. No patient had primary duodenal Crohn's disease. Because attempt at primary closure of the duodenal defect may fail, our treatment of choice has been formal cross cut two-layered duodenojejunal anastomostis with extensive drainage of the area postoperatively. This treatment has been associated with no mortality and little morbidity, and no late recurrence of duodenal fistula.