Mundhra SK, Singh AK, Kochhar R, Manrai M. Endoscopic management of intestinal strictures in Crohn’s disease: Current status and future perspectives. World J Gastrointest Endosc 2026; 18(10): 123858 [DOI: 10.4253/wjge.123858]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Manish Manrai, MD, AGAF, FRCPE, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Command Hospital, Sadar Bazaar, Cantonment, Lucknow 226002, India. manishmanrai75@yahoo.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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review-article
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Mundhra SK, Singh AK, Kochhar R, Manrai M. Endoscopic management of intestinal strictures in Crohn’s disease: Current status and future perspectives. World J Gastrointest Endosc 2026; 18(10): 123858 [DOI: 10.4253/wjge.123858]
World J Gastrointest Endosc. Oct 16, 2026; 18(10): 123858 Published online Oct 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.123858
Endoscopic management of intestinal strictures in Crohn’s disease: Current status and future perspectives
Sandeep K Mundhra, Anupam K Singh, Rakesh Kochhar, Manish Manrai
Sandeep K Mundhra, Department of Gastroenterology, Geetanjali Medical College and Hospital, Udaipur 313001, Rājasthān, India
Anupam K Singh, Department of Gastroenterology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India
Rakesh Kochhar, Department of Gastroenterology, Paras Hospital, Panchkula 134109, India
Manish Manrai, Department of Gastroenterology, Command Hospital, Lucknow 226002, India
Author contributions: Kochhar R and Manrai M conceptualized and supervised the review study and are involved with resources, editing, and validation; Mundhra SK and Singh AK are engaged with resources, writing, and editing of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: Portions of this manuscript were edited using AI tools solely for language refinement. The authors carefully reviewed and verified all AI-assisted outputs and take full responsibility for the scientific content of the manuscript. AI tools were not used to generate original scientific data, perform independent scientific analyses, or draw scientific conclusions.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Manish Manrai, MD, AGAF, FRCPE, Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Command Hospital, Sadar Bazaar, Cantonment, Lucknow 226002, India. manishmanrai75@yahoo.com
Received: June 1, 2026 Revised: July 28, 2026 Accepted: September 22, 2026 Published online: October 16, 2026 Processing time: 137 Days and 14.8 Hours
Abstract
Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder frequently complicated by intestinal strictures, which may lead to obstructive symptoms and repeated surgical interventions. With advances in therapeutic endoscopy, endoscopic management has emerged as an effective bowel-sparing alternative in selected patients. A multidisciplinary approach, involving gastroenterologists, gastrointestinal surgeons, and radiologists, is essential for optimal patient selection and procedural planning. This review article summarizes the current evidence on the endoscopic management of CD-related strictures, focusing on pathophysiology, patient selection, endoscopic balloon dilation, stricturotomy, stenting, outcomes, complications, and comparison with surgical approaches. Emerging techniques and future directions are also discussed. Endoscopic therapy, when applied to appropriately selected strictures, can achieve durable symptom relief and delay or avoid surgery in a significant proportion of patients.
Core Tip: Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder frequently complicated by intestinal strictures, leading to obstructive symptoms and repeated surgical interventions. In the era of therapeutic endoscopy, endoscopic management has emerged as an effective bowel-sparing alternative in selected patients. A multidisciplinary approach, involving gastroenterologists, gastrointestinal surgeons, and radiologists, is essential for optimal patient selection and procedural planning. We have summarized the current evidence focusing on pathophysiology, patient selection, endoscopic balloon dilation, stricturotomy, stenting, outcomes, complications, and comparison with surgical approaches. In selected patients, endoscopic therapy can achieve durable symptom relief and delay or avoid surgery in a significant proportion of patients.
