Recruitment
Inflammation
INFLAMMATION, RECTAL INFLAMMATION
After colectomy, patients will receive standardized written as well as oral information from a consultant regarding the collection of QoL measurements, functional scores and the different treatment modalities before being asked for consent to participate in the study. The patient will be prescribed topical 5-ASA according to local principles, usually 500–1000 mg twice daily. 3–6 months after the colectomy patients will be subjected to rectal endoscopic examination to assess rectal inflammation and compliance and sphincter function. Inflammation is assessed by Mayo score while the assessment of rectal compliance and sphincter function is based on patient history and the subjective evaluation by the responsible surgeon. Based on these factors it is determined if the patient is eligible for IRA as well as IPAA. Patients that are deemed eligible for both reconstructions, and otherwise fulfill inclusion criteria, will be analyzed in the study arms and will henceforth be referred to as the study arms in contrast to the controls (Fig. Flow chart describing the selection of patients eligible for the study (green). The other patients (yellow) will be asked to participate as controls