title: A prospective, longitudinal study of nonconventional strictureplasty in Crohn's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bowel-sparing techniques have been proposed to avoid extended or repeated resections in patients with Crohn'rsquo;s disease (CD), but without precise indications, prospective evaluation, and with a technically limited repertoire.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective longitudinal study of new nonconventional strictureplasties (NCSP) in order to evaluate the safety, type and site of recurrence, and longterm clinical and surgical efficacy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between January 1993 and December 2002, 102 among 305 consecutive patients underwent at least one NCSP for complicated CD. Patients were treated following precise indications and then included in a prospective database with scheduled followup. Factors claimed to influence postoperative and longterm outcomes and type and site of recurrence were analyzed. We performed 48 ileoileal side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty (SP), 41 widening ileocolic SP, 32 ileocolic side-to-side isoperistaltic SP, associated with Heineke-Mikulicz SP (in 80 procedures) or with minimal bowel resections or both (in 47 procedures). Postoperative mortality was nil; complication rate was 5.7%. Ten years clinical and surgical recurrence rates were 43% and 27%, respectively. Recurrence rate on an NCSP site was 0.8%. No specific factor was identified as related to postoperative or longterm outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perioperative and longterm results of NCSP are comparable to or even better than both conservative and resective surgery as reported in the literature, with a low recurrence rate on the NCSP site. Considering the unpredictability of the clinical course of CD and the lifetime need for surgical procedures, NCSP, together with minimal resection and classic SP repertoire, should be considered first-line treatment in complicated CD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, II Division of General Surgery, Università degli Studi di Milano, Ospedale Luigi Sacco, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Sampietro
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cristaldi
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Maconi
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Parente
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sartani
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ardizzone
authors.forename: Piergiorgio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Danelli
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bianchi Porro
authors.forename: Angelo Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Taschieri
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012008:Recurrence; D016896:Treatment Outcome