Strictureplasty in Complex Crohn's Disease: Beyond the Basics.

The strictureplasty operation was originally adopted for use in selected patients with Crohn's disease to allow for bowel conservation. The procedure and its usage have evolved over time as experience and confidence with the technique has grown. The short- and long-term outcomes of strictureplasty compared with resection attest to its safety and durable efficacy.

Consensus Recommendations for Evaluation, Interpretation, and Utilization of Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Enterography in Patients With Small Bowel Crohn's Disease.

Computed tomography and magnetic resonance enterography have become routine small bowel imaging tests to evaluate patients with established or suspected Crohn's disease, but the interpretation and use of these imaging modalities can vary widely. A shared understanding of imaging findings, nomenclature, and utilization will improve the utility of these imaging techniques to guide treatment options, as well as assess for treatment response and complications. Representatives from the Society of Abdominal Radiology Crohn's Disease-Focused Panel, the Society of Pediatric Radiology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and other experts, systematically evaluated evidence for imaging findings associated with small bowel Crohn's disease enteric inflammation and established recommendations for the evaluation, interpretation, and use of computed tomography and magnetic resonance enterography in small bowel Crohn's disease. This work makes recommendations for imaging findings that indicate small bowel Crohn's disease, how inflammatory small bowel Crohn's disease and its complications should be described, elucidates potential extra-enteric findings that may be seen at imaging, and recommends that cross-sectional enterography should be performed at diagnosis of Crohn's disease and considered for small bowel Crohn's disease monitoring paradigms. A useful morphologic construct describing how imaging findings evolve with disease progression and response is described, and standard impressions for radiologic reports that convey meaningful information to gastroenterologists and surgeons are presented.

Consensus Recommendations for Evaluation, Interpretation, and Utilization of Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Enterography in Patients With Small Bowel Crohn's Disease.

Computed tomography and magnetic resonance enterography have become routine small bowel imaging tests to evaluate patients with established or suspected Crohn's disease, but the interpretation and use of these imaging modalities can vary widely. A shared understanding of imaging findings, nomenclature, and utilization will improve the utility of these imaging techniques to guide treatment options, as well as assess for treatment response and complications. Representatives from the Society of Abdominal Radiology Crohn's Disease-Focused Panel, the Society of Pediatric Radiology, the American Gastroenterological Association, and other experts, systematically evaluated evidence for imaging findings associated with small bowel Crohn's disease enteric inflammation and established recommendations for the evaluation, interpretation, and use of computed tomography and magnetic resonance enterography in small bowel Crohn's disease. This work makes recommendations for imaging findings that indicate small bowel Crohn's disease, how inflammatory small bowel Crohn's disease and its complications should be described, elucidates potential extra-enteric findings that may be seen at imaging, and recommends that cross-sectional enterography should be performed at diagnosis of Crohn's disease and considered for small bowel Crohn's disease monitoring paradigms. A useful morphologic construct describing how imaging findings evolve with disease progression and response is described, and standard impressions for radiologic reports that convey meaningful information to gastroenterologists and surgeons are presented. ©2018, RSNA, AGA Institute, and Society of Abdominal Radiology This article is being published jointly in Radiology and Gastroenterology.

The Difficult Stoma: Challenges and Strategies.

The problems that a patient experiences after the creation of a temporary or permanent stoma can result from many factors, but a carefully constructed stoma located in an ideal location is typically associated with appropriate function and an acceptable quality of life. The construction of the stoma can be confounded by many concomitant conditions that increase the distance that the bowel must traverse or shorten the bowel's capacity to reach. Stomas can be further troubled by a variety of problems that potentially arise early in the recovery period or months later. Surgeons must be familiar with these obstacles and complications to avoid their occurrence and minimize their impact.

Small bowel surgery for the gynecologist specializing in benign disease.

INTRODUCTION: Adhesions are fibrous bands of scar tissue that are often a result of surgery. Adhesions of the bowel are a common finding during gynecologic procedures, and their presence can lead to injury. METHOD: This video article demonstrates enterolysis and small-bowel surgery in women undergoing surgery for a benign gynecologic condition and found to have severe adhesive disease. CONCLUSION: Small bowel surgery is best carried out using a team approach. Surgeons should be especially vigilant about injury to the bowel in patients undergoing extensive adhesiolysis or enterolysis.

Impact of smoking on disease phenotype and postoperative outcomes for Crohn's disease patients undergoing surgery.

AIM: Whether smoking affects disease distribution, phenotype, and perioperative outcomes for Crohn's disease (CD) patients undergoing surgery is not well characterized. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of smoking on disease phenotype and postoperative outcomes for CD patients undergoing surgery METHODS: Prospectively collected data of CD patients undergoing colorectal resection were evaluated. CD patients who were current smokers (CS) were compared to nonsmokers (NS) and ex-smokers (ES) for disease phenotype, anatomic site involved, procedures performed, postoperative outcomes, and quality of life using the Cleveland Global Quality of Life instrument (CGQL). RESULTS: Of 691 patients with a diagnosis of CD requiring surgery 314 were classified as CS, 330 as NS, and 47 as ES. CS and ES in comparison to NS were significantly older at diagnosis of Crohn's disease (mean, 29.3 vs. 29.2 vs. 26.3 years) (P = 0.001) and older at the time of primary surgery (mean, 42.9 vs. 48.4 vs. 39 years) (P = 0.001) with a greater frequency of diabetes. In all groups requiring surgery, there was a significant change in disease phenotype from the time of diagnosis to surgical intervention. The predominant phenotype at diagnosis was inflammatory which changed to stricturing and penetrating as the dominant phenotypes at time of surgery. All groups had a significant improvement in CGQL scores post-surgery with the greatest benefit observed in NS. Postoperative complications and 30-day readmission rates were similar between all groups. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study show that in patients with CD, disease phenotype changes over time. This occurs independent of smoking. Smoking does not appear to predispose to complications for CD patients undergoing surgery. CS and ES have a persistently reduced quality of life in comparison to NS post-surgery.

Inflammatory bowel disease surgery in the biologic therapy era.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The relationship between surgery and biologic agents in the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease continues to be a source of interest for both surgeons and clinicians. RECENT FINDINGS: The role of biologic agents in patients with varying presentations of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis continues to evolve. However, the currently available biologic therapies are clearly not the panacea we have desired because they have only marginally decreased the frequency with which operative intervention is required and may have increased the risk for infectious postoperative complications in the nonelective setting. Compared to surgery, biologic agents are also significantly more costly and may not provide any greater gain in quality of life. SUMMARY: Future studies must focus on the use of surgery and emerging biologic agents as complementary therapies designed to safely control inflammatory disease while providing objective value.

Factors associated with operative recurrence early after resection for Crohn's disease.

INTRODUCTION: Some Crohn's disease (CD) patients develop rapid disease recurrence requiring reoperation. Identification of factors associated with early operative recurrence of CD may help risk-stratify patients and prevent recurrence. METHODS: Prospectively collected data of CD patients undergoing bowel resection for CD with unequivocal evidence of recurrence at reoperation were retrieved. Patients with earlier recurrence (less than median time of recurrence of study cohort) were compared with those who developed later recurrence (greater than median time of recurrence) for patient and disease characteristics and risk factors for recurrence. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with earlier operative recurrence. RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients (45 female, 24 male) met the inclusion criteria. Median time to reoperation was 38 months (range, 3.3-236 months). One hundred six reoperations in the 69 patients were for abscess/fistula/perforation (n = 45), stricture/stenosis (n = 41), inflammation (n = 17), bleeding (n = 2), and dysplasia (n = 1). Factors associated with early rather than late reoperation included behavior of disease (stricturing, odds ratio (OR) 12.1; confidence interval (CI), 1.8-80.9; penetrating OR, 9.9; CI, 1.4-67.9 rather than nonstricturing nonpenetrating) and the development of postoperative complications at previous surgery (OR, 12.1; CI, 1.2-126.6). CONCLUSION: Earlier recurrence of CD requiring reoperation is associated with specific disease and potentially modifiable operation-related factors such as postoperative complications, i.e., anastomotic leak or intraabdominal abscess. Strategies to reduce recurrence in such patients include the identification of factors that may reduce postoperative complications.

Management of acute colitis and toxic megacolon.

Severe colitis is a well-defined condition that can develop in patients afflicted with ulcerative colitis, but typically responds to a variety of medical therapies. Operative intervention is warranted when massive hemorrhage, perforation, or peritonitis complicates the clinical scenario or medical therapy fails to control the disease. Of the operative options, total/subtotal colectomy and end ileostomy is the usual procedure of choice especially if the operation can be performed through a laparoscopic approach.

Ileal pouch rectal anastomosis: a viable alternative to permanent ileostomy in Crohn's proctocolitis patients.

BACKGROUND: Ileal pouch rectal anastomosis (IPRA) is a possible alternative to permanent ileostomy when a short, normal-appearing rectal stump remains after total colectomy. Its outcomes in Crohn colitis (CC) patients have not been reported. STUDY DESIGN: CC patients who underwent IPRA from 1992 to 2004 were identified. Operative and morbidity data were collected. Functional outcomes and quality-of-life (QOL) data were obtained using a mailed questionnaire and compared with matched patients who underwent straight ileorectal anastomosis (SIRA). RESULTS: Twenty-three CC patients underwent IPRA. Perioperative complications included three pelvic septic fluid collections and five small bowel obstructions or ileus, and were treated nonoperatively. Twenty-two patients were available for longterm followup (median 98 months). Fourteen patients (64%) had disease recurrence. Two (9%) have lost a functioning anastomosis. Nine (41%) required additional operations. Matched SIRA patients had higher level of anastomosis (23.4 +/- 5.5 versus 9.0 +/- 4.1 cm above the dentate line; p < 0.0001). Bowel movement frequency (median 6.5/24 hours in both groups), incontinence, and urgency rates were similar. Nighttime seepage and pad usage were more frequent in IPRA. No differences were found in QOL parameters (Cleveland Global QOL score: 0.78 versus 0.73 [0 = worst, 1 = best], IPRA versus SIRA, respectively; p = 0.31). All patients with a functioning IPRA stated they would have their operation again if needed, and 94% would recommend it to others. CONCLUSIONS: IPRA offers durable preservation of bowel continuity and good function and QOL in selected CC patients who might otherwise require a permanent ileostomy.

Use of infliximab within 3 months of ileocolonic resection is associated with adverse postoperative outcomes in Crohn's patients.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated preoperative infliximab use and postoperative outcomes in Crohn's patients. Our aim was to evaluate 30-day postoperative outcomes for Crohn's patients treated with infliximab within 3 months prior to ileocolonic resection. METHODS: The study is a retrospective evaluation of data for patients undergoing ileocolonic resection after 1998 from a prospective Crohn's disease database. Patient characteristics and 30-day complications were compared for patients treated with infliximab within 3 months before surgery and an infliximab naïve group. The infliximab group was also compared with non-infliximab patients undergoing ileocolonic surgery before 1998. RESULTS: Sixty of 389 Crohn's patients undergoing ileocolonic resection received infliximab. The infliximab and non-infliximab groups had similar characteristics, preoperative risk factors, and surgical procedure. However, steroid use was higher (p < 0.05) in the non-infliximab group while concurrent immunosuppressive use was higher (p < 0.001) in the infliximab group. Multivariate analysis showed infliximab use to be associated with 30-day postoperative readmission (p = 0.045), sepsis (p = 0.027), and intraabdominal abscess (p = 0.005). The presence of diverting stoma (n = 17) in the infliximab group was associated with lower risk of sepsis (0% vs. 27.9%, p = 0.013). Similar results were noted when the infliximab group was compared to the pre-infliximab patients. CONCLUSIONS: Infliximab use within 3 months before surgery is associated with increased postoperative sepsis, abscess, and readmissions in Crohn's patients. Diverting stoma may protect against these complications.

A meta-analysis comparing conventional end-to-end anastomosis vs. other anastomotic configurations after resection in Crohn's disease.

PURPOSE: This study compared outcomes between end-to-end anastomosis and other anastomotic configurations after intestinal resection for patients with Crohn's disease by using meta-analytical techniques. METHODS: Comparative studies published between 1992 and 2005 of end-to-end anastomosis vs. other anastomotic configurations were included. Using a random effects model, end points evaluated were short-term complications and perianastomotic recurrence of Crohn's disease. Heterogeneity was assessed and sensitivity analysis was performed to account for bias in patient selection. RESULTS: Eight studies (2 prospective, randomized, controlled trials; 1 nonrandomized, prospective; 5 nonrandomized, retrospective studies) reported on 661 patients who underwent 712 anastomoses, of which 383 (53.8 percent) were sutured end-to-end anastomosis and 329 (46.2 percent) were other anastomotic configurations (259 stapled side-to-side, 59 end-to-side or side-to-end, 11 stapled circular end-to-end). Anastomotic leak rate was significantly reduced in the other anastomotic configurations group (odds ratio (OR), 4.37; P = 0.02) and remained significantly lower in studies comparing only side-to-side anastomosis vs. end-to-end anastomosis (OR, 4.37; P = 0.02) and studies including only ileocolonic anastomosis (OR, 3.8; P = 0.05). Overall postoperative complications (OR, 2.64; P < 0.001), complications other than anastomotic leak (OR, 1.89; P = 0.04), and postoperative hospital stay (weighted mean difference, 2.81; P = 0.007) were significantly reduced in the side-to-side anastomosis group when considering studies comparing only side-to-side anastomosis vs. end-to-end anastomosis. There was no significant difference between the groups in perianastomotic recurrence and reoperation needed because of perianastomotic recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: End-to-end anastomosis after resection for Crohn's disease may be associated with increased anastomotic leak rates. Side-to-side anastomosis may lead to fewer anastomotic leaks and overall postoperative complications, a shorter hospital stay, and a perianastomotic recurrence rate comparable to end-to-end anastomosis. Further randomized, controlled trials should be performed for confirmation.

Perianal Crohn's disease.

Perianal Crohn's disease in children is a potentially debilitating condition that can precede or follow the intestinal disease component. The perianal abnormalities are varied and can include lesions of the perianal skin or anal canal, abscesses or fistulas, and malignancies. The appropriate management of these problems is predicated on a thorough evaluation of the perineum and anus as well as the remainder of the alimentary tract. Therapy usually includes a combination of antibiotics, immunomodulators, and biologic agents as well as conservative operative procedures. The surgical options are intended to safely ameliorate disease-related symptoms without compromising function or continence.