Chronic pouchitis after ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis: effect on quality of life.

Chronic pouchitis can be observed in up to 30% of patients after proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for ulcerative colitis (UC). It remains a poorly understood complication and often requires chronic antibiotic and antidiarrheal treatment. We hypothesized that its occurrence can be predicted by distinct clinical parameters and that it adversely affects quality of life.