The surgical treatment of patients with ulcerative colitis from an university hospital at Natal, Brazil

introduction: ulcerative colitis (uc) is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the rectum and colon, involving periods of exacerbation and remission. a considerable number of patients requires surgery during the course of this disease. objective: the purpose of this study is to analyze the profile and therapeutic approach of patients with uc. methods: this is a retrospective study that analyzed medical records of patients diagnosed with uc between 1999 and 2010. we selected 45 patients and analyzed the following variables: age, gender, ethnic group, interval between onset of symptoms and diagnosis, extraintestinal manifestations, extent of colonic involvement, disease complications, pharmacological treatment, indication for surgery, time between diagnosis and indication, surgical procedures, early and late complications and pathological results of surgical specimens. data were analyzed descriptively and compared with other studies. results: the clinical profile of the patients was consistent with the literature. nine patients underwent surgical treatment: seven were submitted to proctocolectomy with anastomosis in the ileo-anal pouch and two were submitted to total colectomy; in addition, eight were submitted to ileostomy. postoperative complications occurred in 55.5% of patients. conclusions: the study confirms data from the literature regarding the profile and therapeutic approach of patients with ulcerative colitis.