IBD and Ileoanal Pouch Surgery Centre

Our Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Ileoanal Pouch Surgery Centre provides all patients with a multidisciplinary approach, comprising IBD surgeons, gastroenterologists, radiologists, dietitians, and specialised nurses with high-level expertise in treatment of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Our Trust is a tertiary referral centre for Crohn’s disease and ileoanal pouch surgery and boasts of a high-volume service in minimally invasive surgery for primary and recurrent Crohn’s disease, Kono-S anastomosis technique, fistulating and perianal Crohn’s disease. We have a high-volume practice in ileoanal “J-Pouch” surgery, performing primary and revisional ileoanal pouch surgery, and pouch excision.

The Ileoanal J-Pouch clinic is a multidisciplinary service offered to patients who have an ileoanal pouch or are considering having surgery. A dedicated pathway for these patients was developed at our J-Pouch one-stop clinic involving an endoscopic assessment of the pouch (pouchoscopy) and same-day meeting with our team of colorectal surgeons, gastroenterologists, IBD and stoma/pouch nurses. Our service also provides the chance for peer-to-peer counselling thanks to a group of patients who previously had pouch surgery under our care and agreed to volunteer and share their precious experience and perspective.

In the dedicated J-Pouch clinic we evaluate conditions such as pouchitis, pouch dysfunction, pouch-anal and pouch-vaginal fistulae, increased bowel frequency, primary ileoanal pouch and redo pouch surgery, and surgical treatment of ulcerative colitis. The excellent care provided by the IBD and and Ileoanal Pouch Surgery Centre has been awarded nationally by the British Society of Gastroenterology.

Our IBD centre has florid research and education activity, hosting national courses and leading on NIHR and multi-centre studies. We also collaborate and place our experience at the disposal of patients coming from other units, such as paediatric colorectal or endometriosis units, joining our colleagues to treat complex paediatric and endometriosis cases.

Our team approach

Our IBD team takes pride in providing our patients with dedicated specialists, collaborating to deliver the best care and outcomes. Our team comprises:

Colorectal surgeons
Paediatric and endometriosis surgeons
Gastroenterologists
Gastrointestinal pathologists
Gastrointestinal radiologists
Research fellows
Specialists in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Stoma nurses, nurse practitioners and physician assistants

Nutritional support, pain management and physical therapy are integrated in the patient’s pathway.

Recognition

Consultant surgeon Mr Valerio Celentano received the Service Development Award from the British Society of Gastroenterology during the BSG annual conference in Birmingham in 2022. This is a prestigious award that acknowledges the high volume and high-quality care delivered by our Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) team. The award recognises the multidisciplinary patient-centred approach to ileoanal pouch surgery which, at our Trust, involves collaboration among colorectal surgeons, gastroenterologists, stoma nurses, dietitians, radiologists, IBD nurses and paediatric surgeons. Our surgical team was awarded in Birmingham for the excellent outcomes of our high-volume service, with 24 procedures performed in an 18-month study period. Thank you also to Melanie Jerome in the stoma care team, who has relentlessly supported our patients and service.

Educational offer

1. IBD surgery colorectal service

High volume practice in Complex IBD surgery in a tertiary referral practice
Weekly operating lists for complex Crohn’s and pouch surgery
Weekly endoscopy lists for IBD and colorectal patients
First UK “one-stop” ileoanal pouch clinic and Young Adults Transition MDT
Multidisciplinary (MDT) care:

Weekly IBD MDT meeting
Weekly Oncology Colorectal MDT meeting
Monthly Northwest London Pouch MDT meeting

Complex surgery for colorectal cancer, abdominal wall reconstruction.

2. Audit and Quality Improvement

Surgical Outcomes
MDT activity audit
PROMs
Patient pathway

3. Research portfolio

NIHR portfolio studies
National/international studies
Publications

4. Training courses

Pouch Study Day course, annually held at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
Anastomosis in IBD course, annually held at Karl Storz Centre in Slough, London
Proctoring programme
Teaching and Leadership courses
Collaboration with international fellows, observers, and medical students
Webinars

We are hosting the following study days:

Anastomotic techniques in IBD surgery
11 May 2023

This course will include lectures and hands-on sessions on the surgical treatment of ileocolonic Crohn’s disease, Kono-S anastomosis, Mesentrery-based surgery, Strictureplasties and ileoanal pouch surgery. Please email chelwest.j-pouch@nhs.net to register.
Ileoanal pouch surgery study day (2nd edition)
23 Jun 2023

This course will include lectures and operating on primary and revision ileoanal pouch surgery, perioperative and follow-up pathways and information about our young adolescent transition MDT. Please email chelwest.j-pouch@nhs.net to register.
Honorary clinical placement and observership
We offer an honorary clinical attachment and observership—please download and complete the form (.docx) and email it to chelwest.j-pouch@nhs.net.

5. Paediatric Colorectal Surgery Collaboration

Our department of paediatric and neonatal surgery provides specialist surgical services to the North West London sector and serves a population of 2 million people. The department comprises 11 surgeons, two of whom are specialist paediatric colorectal surgeons supported by a senior paediatric colorectal fellow, a continence nurse specialist, and a neonatal surgical nurse specialist.

Opportunities for visiting fellows include:

Twice-weekly paediatric colorectal outpatient clinics
Weekly paediatric colorectal MDT meeting (including colorectal transition MDT)
Weekly paediatric surgical radiology MDT
Weekly neonatal surgery MDT
Weekly paediatric surgery teaching sessions
Several paediatric surgery operating lists per week with exposure to complex pelvic and colorectal reconstruction, including surgery for congenital anorectal malformations and Hirschprung’s disease
Weekly paediatric gastroenterology endoscpy lists for young onset IBD
Opportunity to participate in clinical research and qualify improvement projects

6. Red Lion Pouch Support Group

Mr Valerio Celentano was invited as a speaker for an online webinar with the national patient Red Lion Pouch Support Group. The video below explains in lay wording the multidisciplinary management, surgery and recovery for patients having ileoanal J-Pouch surgery. This will address some of the frequently asked questions for patients considering this surgery.