Mayo Clinic's approach
Teamwork
Mayo Clinic pediatric and colon and rectal surgeons work closely with gastroenterologists and other specialists to tailor your treatment and develop a care plan geared toward controlling pain and preventing complications after your surgery.
Advanced technology
Mayo Clinic surgeons use a minimally invasive approach for more than 70 percent of J-pouch surgeries, which usually means smaller incisions and faster recovery, including a shorter hospital stay, compared with those for traditional open surgery. Minimally invasive surgery may include laparoscopy, single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS), robotics or transanal approaches. Some children have J-pouch surgery performed though an incision so small that a detectable scar can't be seen.
Pediatric expertise
The Mayo Clinic Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center for Children specializes in diagnosing and treating children with all types of inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis. Mayo Clinic offers a variety of specialists dedicated to the unique concerns of children with digestive issues, including pediatric gastroenterologists, pediatric surgeons, pediatric endocrinologists, pediatric nurse practitioners, pediatric mental health specialists and other pediatric specialists as needed.
The Mayo Clinic experience and patient stories
Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care like they've never experienced. See the stories of satisfied Mayo Clinic patients.
Staying the course through follow-up care and therapeutic drug monitoring
For most of his adult life, Billy Dowell Jr. has lived with a serious immune-mediated disease process that has threatened not only his dream of playing professional golf, but his very existence. His illness caused painful pelvic joint inflammation, resulted in a perforated bowel, and led to glaucoma. It’s been ongoing, unrelenting, and extremely unpleasant. “I’ve been through the roughest of the rough,” says Billy, a resident of Jacksonville, Florida, who moved there in May…
Expertise and rankings
Experience
Mayo Clinic pediatric and colorectal surgeons have extensive experience in their field, performing more than 7,000 procedures annually. Each year, Mayo Clinic surgeons perform about 125 J-pouch surgeries.
Research
Researchers at Mayo Clinic are at the forefront of new techniques and procedures to ensure surgical success and prevent infection. Mayo Clinic pediatric and colorectal surgeons pioneered the J-pouch procedure, making it possible for people to continue eliminating waste normally after colorectal surgery.
Surgeons at Mayo Clinic were among the first to introduce hand-assisted laparoscopic colon surgery. Mayo Clinic pediatric surgeons have used and studied single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS), performing the J-pouch procedure through only one small incision.
Nationally recognized expertise
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, ranks No. 1 for digestive disorders in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona, and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, are ranked among the Best Hospitals for digestive disorders by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester is ranked the No. 1 hospital in Minnesota, and the five-state region of Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2023–2024 "Best Children's Hospitals" rankings.
Learn more about Mayo Clinic's Colon and Rectal Surgery and Gastroenterology and Hepatology departments' expertise and rankings.
Mayo Clinic Children's Center
Highly skilled pediatric experts diagnose and treat all types of conditions in children. As a team, we work together to find answers, set goals and develop a treatment plan tailored to your child's needs.
Learn more about the Children's Center.
Locations, travel and lodging
Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.
For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:
Costs and insurance
Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.
In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn't require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.
Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.
Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer's customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.