title: French national consensus clinical guidelines for the management of Crohn's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic and disabling condition. There is no curative medical treatment but current treatments provide increasingly sustainable control of the disease and allow patients a better quality of life. There is limited evidence supporting CD management in specific clinical situations, thus precluding an evidence-based approach.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To help clinicians in making informed treatment decisions, a group of 59 French gastroenterologists with experience in the management of CD met to develop straightforward and practical algorithms based on the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) recommendations.
  
  
  METHODS
  This experts' opinion was developed following a Nominal Group consensus methodology. Nine clinical situations were identified: mildly active CD; uncomplicated moderately active CD, with, and without poor prognostic factors; uncomplicated severely active CD; perianal CD with a single fistula; perianal CD with complex fistula with or without abscess; complicated CD with abscess; intestinal stricture; and post-operative CD. Two working groups were formed and proposed algorithms that were then approved by a two-thirds majority of the Nominal Group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These algorithms represent the pragmatic consensus of a group of experts in gastroenterology on the modalities of therapeutic care in different clinical situations in CD. They are available via a web application at: www.algorithmici.com.
authors.affiliation: University Hospital of Nancy, Department of Gastroenterology, Vandoeuvre, France. Electronic address: peyrinbiroulet@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peyrin-Biroulet
authors.affiliation: CHU Paris Nord-Val de Seine, Beaujon Hospital, Department of Gastroenterology, IBD and Nutritional Support, Clichy, France.
authors.forename: Yoram
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Bouhnik
authors.affiliation: CHU Saint Etienne, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Saint-Etienne, France.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Roblin
authors.affiliation: Clinique Ambroise Pare, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bonnaud
authors.affiliation: CHI Créteil, Department of Gastroenterology, Créteil, France.
authors.forename: Hervé
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hagège
authors.affiliation: Nice University Hospital, Hôpital de L'archet, Department of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Nice, France.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hébuterne
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D032921:Consensus; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D011788:Quality of Life; D012008:Recurrence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Algorithm; Experts’ opinion; Treatment guidelines