Surgical treatment for small bowel Crohn's disease: an experience of 28 cases.
BACKGROUND
Crohn's disease is increasingly encountered in India. This paper reviews our experience with surgery for small bowel involvement in Crohn's disease.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data of patients who underwent surgical resection for Crohn's disease during a period of 8.8 years from 1997-2006 at a tertiary care center.


RESULTS
Twenty-eight patients (mean age 31.2 years; 18 men) underwent surgical treatment for Crohn's disease. The diagnosis was made only after surgery in 17 patients; 5 of them were receiving anti-tuberculosis treatment. The most common indication for elective surgery was subacute intestinal obstruction (n=15) followed by enterocutaneous fistula (3) and protein-losing enteropathy (2). Emergency surgery was performed in 4 patients who presented with perforation and peritonitis. Resection of the maximally involved segment and primary anastomosis was done in all elective cases. Resection and exteriorization of resected ends was done in patients who presented with peritonitis. Multiple strictureplasties combined with resection were done in 9 patients. Predominant colonic involvement was observed in 2 patients. The type of small bowel involvement included strictures (n=25), fistulizing disease (8) and perforation (6); 11 patients had more than one pathology. Postoperative morbidity was observed in nine patients; 6 patients underwent re-operation for anastomotic leak. Stoma had to be created in 11 patients either primarily or at re-operation, which could be closed after a median interval of 3.2 months. During a median follow up of 29 months, 3 patients required more than one hospital admission for abdominal symptoms. Pre-operative anemia, malabsorption and/or growth retardation, steroid and/or immunosuppressant therapy and mid small bowel resection had a negative impact on anastomotic integrity leading to anastomotic dehiscence. Indication for surgery, the type or extent of disease did not have any impact on postoperative morbidity.


CONCLUSIONS
This retrospective analysis from a tertiary referral center indicates that sub-acute intestinal obstruction and perforation-peritonitis were the most common indications for surgery in Crohn's disease. Pre-operative anemia, malabsorption state, steroid/immunosuppressant and mid small bowel resection were associated with higher postoperative morbidity.
Department of GI Surgery, PVS Institute of Digestive Diseases, Kochi, India. drkprakash@vsnl.com
Kurumboor
K
Prakash
Deepak
D
Varma
Pushpa
P
Mahadevan
Ramesh Ganesh
RG
Narayanan
Mathew
M
Philip
D000328:Adult; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007421:Intestine, Small; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies