Medical management of postoperative recurrence in Crohn's disease.
More than half of Crohn's disease patients require surgery during the course of their disease. Although endoscopic recurrence does not necessarily imply that patients have symptom recurrence, the high need for repeated surgery indicates that lesions gradually developing after surgical remission lead to fibrostenosis or other complications. Despite multiple clinical trials a clear medical strategy to prevent disease recurrence has not been identified. Future well designed collaborative trials with specified end points are needed to optimize clinical practice in the prevention of postoperative Crohn's disease recurrence.
Van Assche
Gert
G
Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Leuven, 49 Herestraat, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium. gert.vanassche@uz.kuleuven.ac.be
Rutgeerts
Paul
P
D000636:Aminosalicylic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019819:Budesonide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003663:Decision Trees; D006801:Humans; D015122:Mercaptopurine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011184:Postoperative Period; D012008:Recurrence
D000636:Aminosalicylic Acids; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D019819:Budesonide; D015122:Mercaptopurine