If Your Cecum Is Removed, What Kind Of Problems Can This Cause?

Side effects of surgery to remove the cecum will vary dependent on the person it is being carried out on. There have been experiments carried out, on rabbits, to find out what the main effects of cecum removal are.

These effects fall into the two categories of the effects on growth and the effects on digestion. The side effects that these experiments had on rabbits can be related to those that are experienced by humans.

• Effects on growth

The experiments carried out on rabbits discovered that after having the cecum removed they lost weight for a few days before putting it back on at a fast rate.

There was a slight enlargement of the adrenal and the colon which has been suggested to occur in order to compensate for the lack of cecum. The enlargement of the organs did not cause any further problems to the rabbits and the increase in weight was not noticeable from the outside.

• Effects on digestion

These experiments suggest that the removal of the cecum does result in a less efficient digestion of total nutrients. Rabbits that had had their cecums removed excreted five times more sodium and potassium and more fat and protein than rabbits who still had their cecums. However the digestive system will still function well enough.

Obviously the results for rabbits will not be exactly the same as they are for humans, but it is fair to say that the removal of the cecum may cause some enlargement of the colon and cause the digestive system to become slightly less efficient. Neither of these effects are suggested to cause particularly troublesome problems to patients.

For more information about how a cecum removal may cause problems, particularly for a specific patient, consult a medical professional. They will be able to advise based on their past experience and knowledgeable background.