Endoscopic management of inflammatory bowel disease-associated complications.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The main complications of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are strictures, fistulas, abscesses, and colitis-associated neoplasia. In addition to diagnosis, disease monitoring, and surveillance, endoscopy plays an important role in the management of those complications. This review is to provide up-to-date information in endoscopic treatment modalities for those complications. RECENT FINDINGS: The endoscopic therapy of IBD complication has evolved from balloon dilation of strictures to endoscopic stricturotomy, strictureplasty, stenting, fistulotomy, sinusotomy, and neoplasia ablation. These endoscopic approaches have provided minimally invasive treatment for those complications. SUMMARY: The advances in interventional IBD may be credited to our better understanding of the disease process and nature of targeted lesion, and execution of updated principles and techniques of endoscopy.