If other treatments don’t work, your doctor may recommend surgery for your IBD. Surgery can cure ulcerative colitis. Depending on the extent of the disease and other factors, there are several surgical treatment options. The most common surgery involves removing your entire colon and rectum and creating a permanent ileostomy through which waste is emptied into an external bag. Another surgical option requires removing your colon and creating an internal pouch that allows normal bowel function so patients can avoid having to wear an external bag. 

With Crohn’s, roughly half of people with the disease have at least one surgery. These procedures don’t cure Crohn’s, rather they provide temporary relief through removal of the affected part of the colon. In many cases, the disease returns in the remaining colon, and subsequent surgery may be necessary.