Date	Event	Description
13 May 2009	Amended	The text of the review has been revised for clarity. No changes have been made to the content of the review.
26 September 2008	New search has been performed	New studies sought but none found.
28 April 2008	Amended	Converted to new review format.
4 January 2006	New search has been performed	January 2006 Since the last update, there have been no new studies published or presented. The older randomized study found (Kirkpatrick 1975) in the MEDLINE search mentioned in the last review was again reviewed to see if any of its data could be included. This study randomized about half its participants to either colostomy or exteriorized repair. The data were also presented in an unusual and very brief manner that precluded inclusion of the data in a meta‐analysis. Conclusions are therefore unchanged from the previous version.
12 January 2005	New search has been performed	New studies sought but none found.