Ulcerative colitis

Care at Mayo Clinic

Treating ulcerative colitis involves specialists in gastroenterology and hepatology, colon and rectal surgery, and radiology. It also involves specialists in laboratory medicine and pathology, rheumatology, wound care and nutrition.

Having all this expertise in a single place means that your care is discussed among the team, test results are available quickly, and appointments are scheduled in coordination. The most highly specialized experts in the world are all working together for your health.

Mayo Clinic surgeons have experience diagnosing and treating ulcerative colitis using the most current management and surgical techniques. Mayo's colorectal surgeons are committed to using minimally invasive surgical procedures, which are associated with less pain and fewer complications.

If you have ulcerative colitis, you'll need regular screening for colon cancer because of your increased risk. Mayo Clinic doctors use chromoendoscopy technology to screen for colorectal cancer. Compared with conventional colonoscopy, chromoendoscopy has been shown to be more effective in differentiating between noncancerous and cancerous lesions.

Pediatric experts at Mayo Clinic's Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic specialize in providing the care that children require for ulcerative colitis, including diagnostic tests that don't expose children to radiation and alternative medicines that reduce the need for steroids.

Ulcerative colitis often takes an even greater physical and emotional toll on young people, slowing their growth. At Mayo Clinic, young people and their families work closely with psychologists who can help them navigate the day-to-day difficulties of living with ulcerative colitis.

People with ulcerative colitis usually can have successful pregnancies, especially if they can keep the disease in remission during pregnancy. It's important to work with a high-risk obstetrician and a gastroenterologist specializing in ulcerative colitis. Mayo Clinic doctors have expertise and experience guiding people with ulcerative colitis through pregnancy and delivery.

Each year, Mayo Clinic doctors diagnose and treat around 4,000 adults and children who have ulcerative colitis.

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic at Mayo Clinic focuses specifically on people with ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory bowel diseases. In addition to routine clinical care, Mayo Clinic doctors are actively involved in research and can provide investigational therapy with a variety of medicines for patients who do not respond to standard medical therapy.

Mayo Clinic research scientists and doctors are continually developing new methods for diagnosing and treating ulcerative colitis. For example, Mayo colorectal surgeons pioneered the procedure to remove the diseased colon and rectum and reconnect the intestines to the anus, called ileoanal anastomosis (J-pouch) surgery, so that a person can continue to eliminate wastes in the usual manner. Mayo Clinic patients also have access to clinical trials of new treatments for ulcerative colitis.

For qualified patients, Mayo Clinic colorectal surgeons offer the continent ileostomy procedure, also known as the Kock pouch.

Mayo's Center for Cell Signaling in Gastroenterology (C-SIG) focuses its research on mechanisms of cellular and molecular processes in a variety of digestive diseases, including ulcerative colitis.