title: Pregnancy and delivery in patients with enterostomy due to anorectal complications from Crohn's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Enterostomy is often undergone by patients with Crohn's disease (CD) due to severe anorectal lesions such as rectovaginal fistula (RVF). Reports of successful pregnancy and delivery, which are important determinants of quality of life for female CD patients with stoma, are limited. Thus, we investigated problems associated with pregnancy and delivery in female CD patients at our hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1985 and 2003, five female CD patients with enterostoma carried seven pregnancies and delivered eight babies in our hospital. For this study, we investigated CD activity, fetal growth, stoma complications, and the outcome of delivery in these seven pregnancies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the five patients, four underwent loop ileostomy and one loop sigmoidostomy for treatment of RVF or severe stricture of the rectum or sigmoid colon. Except for one case, no fertility treatment was done. During pregnancy, a flare-up was observed in one patient and was successfully treated with corticosteroids. Although home enteral or parenteral nutrition was required in two cases, fetal growth was within the normal range in all pregnancies. Preterm delivery occurred in one case with a twin pregnancy. The mean diameter of stoma increased during pregnancy (p<0.01), and a mucosal laceration of stoma by the edge of an ostomy appliance occurred in one case. All deliveries were safe, with six cesarean sections and one transvaginal delivery. After each delivery, the stoma returned to pre-pregnancy size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pregnancy and delivery in CD patients with stoma is safe and should be encouraged. However, special attention to disease activity, nutritional support, and stoma-related complications is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Gastrointestinal and Colorectal Surgery, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, and Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Center, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan. ken_taka@surg1.med.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Funayama
authors.forename: Kouhei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukushima
authors.forename: Chikashi
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Eiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.forename: Iwao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D004766:Enterostomy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018529:Nutritional Support; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012002:Rectal Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*