Surgery for ulcerative colitis in the era of biological agents therapy

Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of colon and rectum whose etiology is still unclear. Infliximab is an antitumor necrosis factor antibody, which has been  approved recently by the United States FDA for the treatment of ulcerative colitis to reduce signs and symptoms, to induce clinical remission and healing of the intestinal mucosa.Total proctocolectomy with pouchanal anastomosis are the standard operation for ulcerative colitis now. The perioperative infliximab use, operation timing and procedures are the important factors affecting prognosis of patients in the era of infliximab therapy.