What is the purpose of a colostomy?

The purpose of a colostomy is to divert stool from the bowel to the abdominal wall. This procedure involves creating an opening, or stoma, in the abdomen through which waste can exit the body into a colostomy bag instead of passing through the rectum. This is typically done when part of the colon is diseased, damaged, or needs to be bypassed for reasons such as cancer, injury, or inflammatory bowel disease. By diverting the stool in this manner, a colostomy allows for the management of bowel function when traditional routes are not viable, promoting the patient’s health and comfort while they heal or while further treatment is ongoing.

The other choices do not accurately describe the function of a colostomy. Removing the entire rectum pertains to a more extensive surgical procedure known as an abdominoperineal resection, and replacing damaged tissue is related to different surgical interventions that do not specifically involve creating a colostomy. Keyhole surgery, or laparoscopic surgery, is a minimally invasive technique but does not correlate with the purpose of a colostomy, which is focused on bowel diversion rather than a surgical approach for operating on the bowel itself.