Ileocecal valve that cannot be intubated in Crohn's disease: is this a sign of poor prognosis?

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: In Crohn's disease (CD), the inability to intubate the ileocecal valve during colonoscopy may be associated with a poor disease prognosis. In this study, we aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of CD patients with and without ileocecal valve intubation during colonoscopy to assess its value as a prognostic parameter. METHODS: This retrospective study involved CD patients with isolated ileal involvement who underwent colonoscopy between 1993 and 2022. We compared the basic characteristics and long-term clinical outcomes of two groups of patients those with intubated and non-intubated ileocecal valves during colonoscopy. RESULTS: Of the 155 participants, 97 (62.5%) patients' ileum could be intubated and 58 (37.5%) could not be intubated. The non-intubated group was younger at diagnosis (39 years versus 30.5 years, p = 0.002), but other baseline characteristics such as sex, smoking status, disease duration, perianal disease, and upper gastrointestinal involvements were similar. The non-intubated group had higher rates of steroid dependence (67.2% versus 46.4%; p = 0.012), biologic treatment (89.7% versus 58.8%; p < 0.001), CD-related hospitalization (81% versus 24.7%; p < 0.001), and major abdominal surgery (58.6% versus 15.5%; p < 0.001). In the logistic regression analysis, the positive predictors of successful ileum intubation were inflammatory type CD (OR 14.821), high serum albumin level (OR 5.919), and older age (OR 1.069), while the negative predictors were stenosing (OR 0.262) and penetrating (OR 0.247) CD behavior. CONCLUSIONS: In Crohn's disease patients with isolated ileal involvement, ileocecal valve cannot be intubated during colonoscopy may indicate the severity of the disease.