Knowledge Gaps in the Management of Postoperative Crohn's Disease: A US National Survey.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative recurrence (POR) of Crohn's disease (CD) is common. Guidelines on POR management have recently been issued, but clinical practice may vary. AIMS: To examine the current clinical practice of POR management in the USA METHODS: A web-based survey was sent to all members of the American Gastroenterological Association and the American College of Gastroenterology. The survey consisted of multiple-choice questions with clinical scenarios to assess how participants manage POR. RESULTS: A total of 189 responses were received from practices in 34 states. 44% of participants were from academic settings. The median number of CD patients seen each month was 20-30 patients per participant. The majority of participants considered smoking, prior intestinal surgery, penetrating disease, perianal fistula, early disease onset, and long extent of disease as high-risk factors for POR. To diagnose and grade endoscopic recurrence, 57% of participants used an endoscopic scoring system; 86% defined clinical recurrence using a combination of symptoms and endoscopic findings; and 79% of participants routinely performed colonoscopy after surgery. In high-risk patients, 65% offered medical prophylaxis-most often biologics and/or immunomodulators-immediately after surgery, while 34% offered medical prophylaxis regardless of the patient's risk of POR. 64% of participants never stopped medical prophylaxis once initiated. CONCLUSIONS: Most gastroenterologists routinely perform colonoscopy to guide POR management. The majority of these providers continue medical prophylaxis indefinitely regardless of subsequent endoscopic findings. Further research is needed to determine the risks and benefits of continuing versus deescalating therapy in patients with potentially surgically induced remission.

Erratum: Transmembrane TNF-α Density, But Not Soluble TNF-α Level, is Associated with Primary Response to Infliximab in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/ctg.2017.44.

Transmembrane TNF-α Density, but not Soluble TNF-α Level, is Associated with Primary Response to Infliximab in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

OBJECTIVES: Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α agents like Infliximab (IFX) are effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and are widely used. However, a considerable number of patients do not respond or lose response to this therapy. Preliminary evidence suggests that transmembrane TNF-α (tmTNF-α) might be linked to response to IFX by promoting reverse signaling-induced apoptosis in inflammatory cells. The main aim of this study was the evaluation of this hypothesis in primary IFX non-responders. METHODS: A total of 47 IFX naive IBD patients were included in the study. Blood samples were taken before the start of IFX therapy (at week 0) and after induction therapy (at week 14). Endoscopic disease activity and markers of inflammation at baseline and at week 14 were used to evaluate response. Baseline soluble TNF-α (sTNF-α), percentage of circulating TNF-α positive cells, mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of tmTNF-α, and apoptosis rate at week 14 in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were evaluated in IFX responders and non-responders. RESULTS: Mean sTNF-α was not significantly different in responders compared to non-responders (P=0.13). Mean percentage of tmTNF-α bearing lymphocytes and monocytes was higher in the PBMCs of responders (P=0.05 and P=0.014, respectively). Mean MFI of tmTNF-α in circulating lymphocytes and monocytes was greater in responders (P=0.002 and P<0.001, respectively). Moreover, the mean percentage of apoptosis in PBMCs was significantly greater in responders compared to non-responders (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of tmTNF-α bearing lymphocytes and monocytes and the intensity of tmTNF-α in the circulating leukocyte population of IBD patients was directly related to primary response to IFX. This was likely due-as assessed by the apoptosis rate-to promotion of inflammatory cell death. Thus, our data suggest that peripheral leukocytes could in principle be used for predicting primary response to IFX in IBD patients.

Impact of Diagnostic Delay and Associated Factors on Clinical Outcomes in a U.S. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cohort.

BACKGROUND: The impact of diagnostic delay in inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), on disease course remains uncertain. This study examines factors that may influence time to diagnosis and disease outcomes in a U.S. patient cohort. METHODS: We retrospectively collected data on patient characteristics, time to diagnosis, disease phenotype, and complications in 177 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (110 CD and 67 UC) diagnosed at our institution from 2008 to 2015. Factors potentially affecting time to diagnosis were analyzed. Association between disease complications (perianal disease, intestinal strictures, surgery, fistula, abscess, and perforation) and time to diagnosis was tested by multivariable analysis. RESULTS: The median time to diagnosis was longer for patients with CD compared with patients with UC (median 9.5 versus 3.1 months; P < 0.001). The median time from symptom onset to initial physician visit was similar for patients with CD and patients with UC (1 month). However, the median time from symptom onset to specialist evaluation was longer for patients with CD compared with patients with UC: 7 months (interquartile range: 3-23) versus 3 months (interquartile range: 1-8), respectively (P < 0.001). In CD, ileal disease and hematochezia were positively and negatively correlated, respectively, with longer time to diagnosis (P < 0.05). Compared with patients with time to diagnosis ≤4 months, patients with time >26 months had increased overall complications (odds ratio, 8.22; P = 0.007) and intestinal strictures (odds ratio, 8.96; P = 0.012) at time of diagnosis. Such correlation persisted at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Time to diagnosis was long in CD. Physician-related delay in diagnosing CD was associated with increased overall complications and intestinal strictures (See Video Abstract, Supplemental Digital Content 1, http://links.lww.com/IBD/B646).