Transabdominal salvage surgery after pouch failure in a tertiary center: A case-matched study

Background: Salvage surgery after failure of ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) could be offered to selected patients. However, the results vary widely in different centers. Aims: To assess the outcomes of salvage surgery by comparison with a control group matched for confounding variables. Methods: From a prospective database of 1286 IPAA, patients undergoing transabdominal salvage surgery were compared for perioperative and functional outcomes and quality of life (QOL) to a 1:3 control group of primary IPAA cases. Results: Salvage surgery patients (30) had a higher rate of hand-sewn anastomoses (80 vs 20%, p