# Surgical outcomes of very-early-onset ulcerative colitis: retrospective comparative study with older pediatric patients

## TL;DR

This study compares surgical outcomes in very young children with ulcerative colitis to older children and finds similar results except for specific complications.

## Contribution

The study provides insights into surgical outcomes for very-early-onset ulcerative colitis compared to older pediatric patients.

## Key findings

- VEO-UC patients had a higher rate of high-output ileostomy at 3 weeks post-surgery.
- VEO-UC patients required central venous catheters more frequently after 90 days.
- There was no significant difference in postoperative growth between the two groups.

## Abstract

The study compares the surgical outcomes of very-early-onset ulcerative colitis (VEO-UC), which is a rare disease diagnosed in pediatric patients < 6 years, with those of older pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis (UC).

A retrospective observational study of 57 pediatric patients with UC was conducted at a single center. The study compared surgical complications and postoperative growth between the two groups.

Out of the 57 patients, 6 had VEO-UC, and 5 of them underwent total colectomy. Compared with the surgical cases of older patients with UC (n = 6), the rate of postoperative complications in patients with VEO-UC (n = 5) was not significantly different, except for high-output ileostomy (80% vs. 0% at 3 weeks postoperatively, p = 0.02). The rate of postoperative central venous catheter (CVC) placement at > 90 days was higher in patients with VEO-UC (100% vs. 17%, p = 0.02). The median change in the Z-score of height before and 2 years after colectomy was not significantly different between VEO-UC and older patients (1.1 vs. 0.3, p = 0.13).

With regard to complications and outcomes, total colectomy for VEO-UC patients and that for older pediatric UC patients is comparable. However, high-output ileostomy and the long duration of CVC placement may pose management challenges.