Background: There is a lack of longitudinal long-term studies of quality of life (QOL) after surgery with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) for ulcerative colitis, where cohorts of patients are used as their own controls.

Methods: Forty ulcerative colitis patients who had undergone IPAA were prospectively assessed while they had a temporary ileostomy, and at a median of 18 months and 7 years after ileostomy closure. QOL was measured with the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale and the Well-Being Profile.

Results: QOL was good at all three time points and, with some exceptions, did not change significantly between the assessments. There was a high degree of stability in the patients' evaluation of their QOL over time.

Conclusions: QOL was already good when the patients had a temporary ileostomy and generally did neither improve nor deteriorate during 7 years after ileostomy closure. QOL was also quite stable in terms of individual differences.