The digestive system breaks down food and gets rid of waste, but sometimes it doesn’t work as it should. When this happens, surgeons can do a procedure called an ostomy (OSS-tuh-mee).
In a loop ostomy, the surgeon pulls a loop of bowel through an opening made in the wall of the belly. The loop is opened, and the edges of the bowel are stitched to the skin to create a stoma (STOE-muh) with two openings. One opening drains waste and the other drains mucus. The waste and mucus go from the stoma into a bag placed over the opening.
Learn the basics in 45 seconds.
Reviewed by: Larissa Hirsch, MD
Date Reviewed: Oct 1, 2022
