Background: The ileo-anal pouch is the surgical procedure of choice for patients with Ulcerative Colitis or Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, but has functional limitations such as a higher frequency of bowel movements, anal leakage, and sometimes the necessity of a protective anal pad.

Objective: To analyze the functional results and quality of life after the pelvic pouch.

Methods: This is a descriptive, prolective, and cross-sectional study that analyzes the clinical variables, functional results and self-reported quality of life of patients after an ileo-anal pouch. A correlation between postoperative clinical variables and quality of life was searched.

Results: Twenty-seven patients were included. Mean age was 36 years. Surgical indications for the ileo-anal pouch were Ulcerative Colitis in 17 (63%), Familial Adenomatous Polyposis in 9 (33%) and a colo-rectostomy stricture in 1 (4%). Mean number of bowel movements was 4 at day and 1 at night. Eighteen percent of patients referred anal leakage, 11% had pouchitis, and 11% small bowel obstruction. Most of the patients reported high scores in all evaluated quality of life scales. There was a correlation between lower scores of quality of life and a higher number of bowel movements.

Conclusions: The majority of patients reported an adequate quality of life after the ileo-anal pouch; there was a correlation between lower scores of quality of life and a higher number of bowel movements.