Crohn's disease (CD) imposes a substantial burden on patients due to its chronic, relapsing nature, often necessitating surgical intervention. However, surgery is not curative, and post-operative recurrence (POR) remains a major clinical challenge, with up to 80% of patients developing endoscopic recurrence within one year if left untreated. The pathophysiology of POR is multifactorial, involving dysregulated immune responses, gut microbiota alterations, and mucosal healing impairment, highlighting the need for targeted therapeutic strategies. This review aims to explore the current landscape of POR management, focusing on biologic therapies and emerging advanced treatments. Conventional management relies on early prophylactic therapy with anti-TNF agents such as infliximab and adalimumab, which have demonstrated efficacy in reducing endoscopic and clinical recurrence. However, newer biologics, including IL-23 inhibitors (risankizumab) and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors (upadacitinib), have shown promise in CD management, though their role in POR remains underexplored. The lack of direct clinical evidence for advanced biologics in POR prevention, combined with inter-individual variability in treatment response, underscores the need for further research. Future directions should focus on optimizing therapeutic strategies through personalized medicine, identifying predictive biomarkers, and conducting robust trials to establish the efficacy of novel agents in POR prevention. A tailored, evidence-driven approach is essential to improving long-term outcomes and minimizing disease recurrence in post-operative CD patients.

There is a scarcity of literature describing outcomes of reoperative Crohn's disease. An in-depth knowledge of these outcomes is critical for managing patient expectations and optimal perioperative planning. We sought to examine outcomes in patients undergoing reoperative surgeries for Crohn's disease compared to index operations.

A retrospective chart review of surgeries performed from 2018-2023 at a single tertiary care academic institution was performed. A subgroup analysis of index vs. reoperative ileocolic resections was performed to minimize confounding due to the heterogeneity of operations between the index and reoperative groups.

Out of 119 patients, 70 (59%) underwent index operations, and 49 (41%) were reoperations. Overall complication rates (24.28% vs. 34.69%, P=0.224), EBL (189.5 vs. 193.4 mL, P=0.94), operative time (209 vs. 236 min, P=0.091), length of stay (mean: 7.24 vs. 10.08 days, P=0.0142), utilization of laparoscopy (92.85% vs. 65.3%, P=0.0002) and conversion to open technique (4.61% vs. 9.37%, P=0.392) favored index cases. The laparoscopic approach narrowed the gap in length of stay between the index and reoperative groups from 2.83 to 0.6 days. Subgroup analysis of ileocolic resections (Index: 50, reoperations: 26) also favored the index operations.

The current study provides valuable insight into managing patient expectations and optimal perioperative planning for reoperative Crohn's disease. Reoperations were associated with longer stays, lower utilization of laparoscopic platforms, and a trend toward higher overall complication rates. Laparoscopy reduces the gap in length of stay between index and reoperations; however, it is associated with a higher reoperation conversion rate.

Even in the biological era, permanent stoma is not uncommon in patients with Crohn's Disease.

This study aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors of permanent stoma in Crohn's disease patients and provide clinical evidence for reducing this disabling outcome.

Consecutive patients with Crohn's disease who underwent ostomies in the past decade were reviewed.

The study was conducted in a tertiary referral hospital.

Four hundred fifty-seven patients with Crohn's disease were divided into temporary stoma and permanent stoma groups based on stoma reversal or not. A permanent stoma was defined as a stoma that had not been reversed or closed for at least 2 years.

The incidence, risk factors, and long-term outcomes of permanent stomas were reported.

The rate of permanent stoma was 4.0% in our surgical cohort. The mean age at the time of permanent stoma creation was 36.0 (28.0-45.0) years. The annual incidence of permanent stoma had declined significantly in the past 10 years (p = 0.033). Our study showed that the independent risk factors for permanent stoma formation included female sex, previous operation for Crohn's disease, the presence of rectal disease, subtotal colectomy, and rectal resection. Interestingly, long-term follow-up found that the active distal colorectal lesion was independently associated with the requirement of subsequent surgery.

The study was limited by its retrospective nature.

Although the incidence of permanent stoma in patients with Crohn's disease showed a downward trend in the past 10 years, effective treatments based on relevant risk factors should be used to prevent permanent stoma and control subsequent surgical recurrence. See Video Abstract.

ANTECEDENTES:Incluso en la era biológica, el estoma permanente no es poco común en pacientes con enfermedad de Crohn.OBJETIVO:Este estudio tuvo como objetivo investigar la incidencia y los factores de riesgo del estoma permanente en pacientes con enfermedad de Crohn y proporcionar evidencia clínica para reducir este resultado discapacitante.DISEÑO:Se revisaron pacientes consecutivos con enfermedad de Crohn que se sometieron a ostomías en la última década.ESCENARIO:El estudio se realizó en un hospital de referencia terciario.PACIENTES:457 pacientes con enfermedad de Crohn se dividieron en los grupos de estoma temporal y estoma permanente según si se había revertido o no el estoma. Un estoma permanente se definió como un estoma que no se había revertido o cerrado durante al menos dos años.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADOS:Se informó la incidencia, los factores de riesgo y los resultados a largo plazo de los estomas permanentes.RESULTADOS:La tasa de estoma permanente fue del 4,0 % en nuestra cohorte quirúrgica. La edad media en el momento de la creación del estoma permanente fue de 36,0 (28,0-45,0) años. La incidencia anual de estomas permanentes había disminuido significativamente en los últimos 10 años (p = 0,033). Nuestro estudio mostró que los factores de riesgo independientes para la formación de estomas permanentes incluían el sexo femenino, la cirugía previa para la enfermedad de Crohn, la presencia de enfermedad rectal, la colectomía subtotal y la resección rectal. Curiosamente, el seguimiento a largo plazo encontró que la enfermedad colorrectal distal activa se asoció de forma independiente con la necesidad de una cirugía posterior.LIMITACIONES:El estudio estuvo limitado por su naturaleza retrospectiva.CONCLUSIONES:Aunque la incidencia de estomas permanentes en pacientes con enfermedad de Crohn mostró una tendencia descendente en los últimos 10 años, se deben utilizar tratamientos efectivos basados en factores de riesgo relevantes para prevenir el estoma permanente y controlar la recurrencia quirúrgica posterior. (Traducción-Dr. Felipe Bellolio).

Temporary stoma formation is common in Crohn's disease (CD), while stoma reversal is associated with postoperative morbidity. This study aimed to evaluate the postoperative outcomes of split stoma reversal, SSR (i.e., exteriorization of proximal and distal ends of the stoma through a small common opening) and end stoma closure, ESC (i.e., the proximal stump externalized, and distal end localized abdominally.

Patients with CD who underwent stoma reversal surgeries between January 2017 and December 2021 were included. Demographic, clinical, and postoperative data were collected and analyzed to evaluate outcomes of reversal surgery.

A total of 255 patients who underwent stoma reversal surgeries met the inclusion criteria. SSR was superior to ESC in terms of operative time (80.0 vs. 120.0, p = 0.0004), intraoperative blood loss volume (20.0 vs. 100.0, p = 0.0002), incision length (3.0 vs. 15.0, p < 0.0001), surgical wound classification (0 vs. 8.3%, p = 0.04), postoperative hospital stay (7.0 vs. 9.0, p = 0.0007), hospital expense (45.6 vs. 54.2, p = 0.0003), and postoperative complications (23.8% vs. 44.3%, p = 0.0040). Although patients in the ESC group experienced more surgical recurrence than those in the SSR group (8.3% vs. 3.2%) during the follow-up, the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis revealed no statistical difference (p = 0.29).

The split stoma can be recommended when stoma construction is indicated in patients with Crohn's disease.

Huge advances in the medical treatment of ileocaecal Crohn's disease have occurred in the last 20 years. Consequently, surgery has become synonymous with treatment failure and is often only implemented when multiple medical interventions have been trialled. However, evidence that patients avoid surgery in the long term is questionable. When surgery occurs, the disease progresses. Surgery is more complex and outcomes such as complications and stoma formation are more common. Many studies suggest that, in terms of longer-term quality of life, earlier surgery may be superior. Specific clinical scenarios exist where this benefit is more obvious (fibrostenotic or fistulating disease) but even with disease limited to the lumen, benefits can be realised. Significant barriers exist to this mindset of earlier surgery. Such barriers can only be overcome with a vigorous multidisciplinary approach. This editorial describes the debate surrounding the concept of early bowel resection in these patients.

Very few risk factors for postoperative recurrence (POR) of Crohn's Disease (CD) after ileocecal resection have been identified. The aim of the present study was to verify the association between an a priori defined list of intraoperative macroscopic findings and POR.

This was a prospective observational study including patients undergoing primary ileocecal resection for CD. Four intraoperative factors were independently evaluated by 2 surgeons: length of resected ileum, mesentery thickness, presence of areas of serosal fat infiltration, or abnormal serosal vasodilation on normal bowel proximal to the resected bowel. The primary end point was early endoscopic POR at month 6 and defined as modified Rutgeerts score ≥i2b. Secondary end points were clinical and surgical recurrence.

Between September 2020 and November 2022, 83 consecutive patients were included. Early endoscopic recurrence occurred in 45 of 76 patients (59.2%). Clinical and biochemical recurrence occurred in 17.3% (95% confidence interval, [CI], 10.4%-28.0%) and 14.6% of the patients after 12 months. The risk of developing endoscopic and clinical recurrence was 1.127 (95% CI, 0.448;2.834, P = .799) and 0.896 (95% CI, 0.324-2.478, P = .832) when serosal fat infiltration was observed, and 1.388 (95% CI, 0.554-3.476, P = .484), and 1.153 (95% CI, 0.417;3.187, P = .783) when abnormal serosal vasodilation was observed. Similarly, length of the resected bowel and mesentery thickness showed no association with POR. A subgroup analysis on patients who received no postoperative medical prophylaxis did not identify any risk factor for endoscopic POR.

The macroscopic appearance of the bowel and associated mesentery during surgery does not seem to be predictive of POR after ileocecal resection for CD.

The terminal ileum is the most frequent site of Crohn's Disease (CD) that necessitates surgery. Of the postoperative complications (POCs) associated with ileocaecal resection for CD, intra-abdominal septic complications (IASCs) include anastomotic leak, abscesses, and entero-cutaneous fistula. We aimed to identify predictors of IASCs and severe POCs (Clavien-Dindo ≥3) after primary ileocaecal resection for CD.

This is a retrospective single-centre cohort study including all consecutive primary ileocaecal resection for CD in a tertiary IBD centre between 2004 and 2021.

A total of 853 patients underwent primary ileocaecal resection for CD. 307 (36.6 %) patients were receiving antibiotics, 253 (29.8 %), systemic steroids, and 178 (21.0 %) oral budesonide at surgery. At 90 days, 260 (30.8 %) patients developed POCs, 62 (7.3 %) severe POCs, and 56 (6.6 %) IASCs. At multivariate analysis, severe POCs were associated with lower preoperative albumin levels (OR1.58, 95 %CI 1.02-2.50, p = 0.040) and a history of cardiovascular diseases (OR2.36, 95 %CI 1.08-7.84, p = 0.030). IASCs were associated with lower preoperative albumin levels (OR1.81, 95 %CI 1.15-2.94, p = 0.011) and oral budesonide (OR2.07, 95 %CI 1.12-3.83, p = 0.021) with a dose-dependent effect.

The independent association, dose-dependent effect, and biological plausibility of budesonide and IASCs suggest a robust causal effect. Oral budesonide should be carefully assessed before primary ileocaecal resection for CD.

The management of Crohn's disease (CD) complicated by ileosigmoid fistula (ISF) remains a challenge, and Australian outcomes have not previously been reported.

A retrospective review of a tertiary colorectal inflammatory bowel disease unit, across public and private sites, from 2005 to 2023 to identify adult patients having undergone operative management of ISF.

Twenty-nine patients underwent surgery for ISF in the study period. Seventeen were male and the median age was 40 years. The pre-operative diagnosis of ISF was made in 76%, and patients were more likely to undergo resectional surgery if the pre-operative diagnosis was made endoscopically. Sixty-nine percent of cases were performed electively, with 76% completed laparoscopically with an 18.5% conversion rate to an open approach. The ISF was oversewn in three patients, repaired primarily in 14 patients, managed with segmental wedge resection in eight patients and resected via an anterior resection in four patients. The rate of stoma formation at the index procedure was 20.7% overall and 22% in patients being acutely managed with steroids. Emergent cases were more likely to be defunctioned with a stoma. Morbidity was 17.2% with a single anastomotic leak.

ISF in CD remains difficult to diagnose pre-operatively, but can be safely managed laparoscopically without formal resection, and with limited use of diverting stoma formation. The specific surgical approach to the sigmoid in ISF is difficult to pre-determine and often requires decisions to be made intra-operatively.

Objective: We questioned how redo ileocolic resection (R-ICR) in Crohn's disease (CD) alleviates patients in the long-term compared with primary resection. Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis of patients who underwent an elective ICR without diversion between the years 2010-2022. The cohort was divided into two groups, namely, R-ICR and primary ileocolic resection (P-ICR). Results: The study included 181 patients, of which 30 patients are in the R-ICR group (mean age 42.3 years) and 151 patients in the P-ICR group (mean age 32.6 years). The R-ICR patients underwent an open approach (76.7% versus 25.2% among the P-ICR, p < .001), had significantly longer operations (mean 200.9 minutes versus 157.2 minutes, respectively, P = .002), and had higher estimated blood loss (mean 350 mL versus 267.4 mL, P = .043). The groups were similar in overall postoperative morbidity, severe postoperative complications (10% versus 13.2%, P = .762), and median length of hospital stay (12.1 days versus 7.4 days, P = .214). After a median follow-up of 64.2 months, there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of endoscopic recurrence (43.3% versus 60.9% in the P-ICR group, P = .104) or in clinical recurrence (43.3% versus 55.6%, respectively, P = .216), but the R-ICR had a significant higher rate of surgical recurrences (23.3% versus 5.3%, respectively, P = .004). Conclusion: R-ICR for CD is a significantly more challenging operation than the primary resection, and patients undergoing a R-ICR are more susceptible to a future surgical intervention than those having P-ICR.

Medical treatment for Crohn's disease (CD) has continuously improved, which has led to a decrease in surgical recurrence rates. Despite these advancements, 25% of patients will undergo repeat intestinal surgery. Recurrence of CD commonly occurs on the mesentery side of the anastomosis site.

To compare the new anti-mesenteric side-to-side delta-shaped stapled anastomosis (DSA) with the conventional stapled functional end-to-end anastomosis (CSA).

This retrospective study included CD patients who underwent ileo-ileal or ileo-colic anastomosis between January 2020 and December 2023. The DSA technique employed a stapler to maintain the concept of anti-mesentery side-to-side anastomosis by performing a 90° vertical closure of the open window compared with the CSA technique. At the corner where the open window is closed, the DSA avoids forming a pouch and creates an anastomosis resembling a delta shape within the intestinal lumen. We compared demographics, preoperative condition, operative findings, and operative outcomes for the two techniques.

The study included 175 patients, including 92 in the DSA group and 83 in the CSA group. The two groups were similar in baseline characteristics, preoperative medical treatment, and operative findings except for the Montreal classification location. The 30-days postoperative complication rate was significantly lower in the DSA group compared with the CSA group (16.3% vs 32.5%, P = 0.009). Ileus incidence was significantly lower in the DSA group than in the CSA group (4.3% vs 14.5%, P = 0.033), and the hospital stay was shorter in the DSA group than in the CSA group (5.67 ± 1.53 days vs 7.39 ± 3.68 days, P = 0.001).

The DSA technique was feasible and showed comparable postoperative outcomes with lower short-term complications compared with the CSA technique. Further studies on CD recurrence and long-term complications are warranted.

Although advancements in medical treatments have been made, approximately half of patients with intestinal Crohn's disease (CD) require intestinal resections during their lifetime. It is well-known that the nutritional status of CD patients can impact postoperative morbidity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in patients with intestinal CD who underwent primary bowel resection.

We retrospectively investigated patients who were diagnosed with CD and underwent intestinal surgery at Severance Hospital between January 2005 and October 2018. The patients were divided into two groups: PNI ≤40 (n=150) and PNI >40 (n=77). We assessed the clinical significance of PNI in terms of the incidence of postoperative infectious complications (PICs) and the postoperative recurrence of CD.

The low PNI group had significantly higher rates of infectious complications (32.0% vs. 10.4%, p=0.001) compared to the high PNI group. Multivariable analysis identified low PNI (≤40) and longer operation time (>180 min) as independent risk factors associated with PICs [odds ratio (OR)=2.754, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.140-6.649, p=0.024; OR=2.986, 95% CI=1.451-6.143, p=0.003]. PICs were significantly associated with surgical recurrence (hazard ratio=2.217, 95% CI=1.064-4.617, p=0.034).

Preoperative PNI could serve as a predictive factor for PICs in CD patients who undergo intestinal resection. Additionally, PICs are significantly associated with a higher risk of surgical recurrence in CD.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic condition characterized by a high recurrence rate after surgery, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Many studies have explored the risk factors for the recurrence of CD after surgery, there is a lack of meta-analysis focusing on endoscopic postoperative recurrence (ePOR) as a clinical outcome. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the risk factors for ePOR in CD patients through systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched for related literature from inception to 17th October 2023. Two researchers independently screened the literature and extracted information. Data analysis was performed using Stata18.0.

Twenty-three papers were included, with 5 case-control studies and 18 cohort studies. The National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool rated 17 studies as good and 6 studies as fair. The sample size of the 23 studies ranged from 40 to 346, and the number of patients with ePOR ranged from 23 to 169. The results of multivariate meta-analysis showed that smoking [OR = 2.06, 95% CI (1.65, 2.57), P = 0.0001], previous ileocolonic resection [OR = 1.71, 95% CI (1.23, 2.38), P = 0.002], disease localization at ileocolic resection [OR = 2.68, 95% CI (1.38, 5.22), P = 0.004], perianal disease [OR = 1.47, 95% CI (1.07, 2.03), P = 0.017], and anastomotic scattered ulcer [OR = 3.39, 95% CI (1.83, 6.28), P = 0.001] were risk factors for ePOR in CD patients. Postoperative prophylactic medication [OR = 0.53, 95% CI (0.38,0.75), P = 0.0001] was a protective factor for ePOR in CD patients.

This systematic review identified multiple factors for ePOR in CD patients, as well as a protective factor. However, the number of articles included was limited. More high-quality clinical studies are required to further validate the conclusions.

This study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (CRD42023483671).

Crohn's disease (CD) is a subtype of chronic and incurable inflammatory bowel disease. It can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract and its etiology is unknown.

The aim of this consensus was to establish the most relevant aspects related to definitions, diagnosis, follow-up, medical treatment, and surgical treatment of Crohn's disease in Mexico.

Mexican specialists in the areas of gastroenterology and inflammatory bowel disease were summoned. The consensus was divided into five modules, with 69 statements. Applying the Delphi panel method, the pre-meeting questions were sent to the participants, to be edited and weighted. At the face-to-face meeting, all the selected articles were shown, underlining their level of clinical evidence; all the statements were discussed, and a final vote was carried out, determining the percentage of agreement for each statement.

The first Mexican consensus on Crohn's disease was produced, in which recommendations for definitions, classifications, diagnostic aspects, follow-up, medical treatment, and surgical treatment were established.

Updated recommendations are provided that focus on definitions, classifications, diagnostic criteria, follow-up, and guidelines for conventional medical treatment, biologic therapy, and small molecule treatment, as well as surgical management.

Despite advances in therapeutics, a significant portion of patients with Crohn's disease still require surgical management. In this article, we present updates to the natural history, prognostication and postoperative monitoring, and novel therapeutics in the prevention and treatment of postoperative Crohn's disease recurrence.

Clinical risk factors have been associated with higher rates of postoperative recurrence (POR), and in recent studies demonstrate an increased cumulative risk with presence of additional risk factors. Additional novel clinical, histologic, and "-omic" risk factors for recurrence have recently been elucidated, including the role of the mesentery on recurrence and perioperative intraabdominal septic complications. High-risk patients benefit most from medical prophylaxis, including anti-TNF with or without immunomodulator therapy to prevent recurrence. New biologics such as vedolizumab and ustekinumab have emerging evidence in the use of prophylaxis, especially with recent REPREVIO trial data. Non-invasive disease monitoring, such as cross-sectional enterography, intestinal ultrasound, and fecal calprotectin, have been validated against ileocolonoscopy. Recent advances in the prediction, prevention, and monitoring algorithms of postoperative Crohn's disease may be leading to a reduction in postoperative recurrence. Ongoing trials will help determine optimal monitoring and management strategies for this at-risk population.

Surgical resection in Crohn's disease is sometimes the only alternative treating disease complications or refractory disease. The implications of early resection on disease course are still debatable. We aimed to assess the influence of preoperative disease duration on long-term postoperative disease course.

A retrospective analysis of all Crohn's disease patients who underwent an elective primary ileocolic resection between 2010 and 2021 in a single tertiary medical center. The cohort was divided based on disease duration, Group A (47 patients) had a disease duration shorter than 3 years (median of 1 year) and Group B (139 patients) had a disease duration longer than 3 years (median of 11 years).

Surgeries were less complex among Group A as noted by higher rates of laparoscopic assisted procedures (68.1% vs. 45.3%, P = 0.006), shorter surgery duration (134 vs. 167 min, P < 0.0001) less estimated blood loss (72.5 vs. 333 mL, P = 0.016) and faster return of bowel function (3 vs. 4 days, P = 0.011). However, propensity score matching nullified all the differences. Younger age (OR = 0.86, P = 0.004), pre-op steroids (OR = 3.69, P = 0.037) and longer disease duration (OR = 1.18, P = 0.012) were found to be independently significantly associated with severe complications. After a median follow-up time of 71.38 months no significant differences were found between the groups in terms of endoscopic (P = 0.59), or surgical recurrences rates (P = 0.82).

The main effect of preoperative short disease duration was noted within the surgical complexity; however, matching suggests confounders as cause of the difference. No significant long-term implication was noted on disease recurrence.

There is debate over the impact of residual microscopic disease after ileocecal resection in Crohn's disease (CD) to predict recurrence. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of positive histological margins and plexitis after ileocecal resection on the risk of postoperative recurrence.

Using a systematic search, we identified. 30 studies evaluating the impact of inflammatory margins on CD recurrence. The primary outcome was the postoperative clinical recurrence and secondary outcomes were surgical, and endoscopic recurrence. We performed random-effects meta-analysis and estimated odds ratio (OR) and 95% CIs.

Thirty studies were analyzed, seven focused on myenteric plexitis, six on submucosal plexitis and twenty-three on positive margins. Inflammatory margins were associated with a higher rate of clinical and surgical recurrences: respectively 14 studies - OR 2.38; 95% CI, 1.54 - 3.68- I2 = 68.2%, Q test-p = 0.0003 and 8 studies - OR, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.07-2.16 - I2 =0%; Q test-p = 0.43. The presence of myenteric plexitis was associated with a higher rate of clinical recurrence (4 studies- OR, 1.60; 95%CI, 1.12-2.29; I2= 0%, Q-test-p = 0.61), and of endoscopic recurrence (4 studies - OR, 4.25; 95%CI; 2.06-8.76; I2= 0%, Q test-p = 0.97). Submucosal plexitis was not associated with an increased risk of endoscopic recurrence (4 studies - OR, 0.94; 95%CI; 0.58-1.52; I2= 0%, Q test-p = 0.79).

Inflammatory margins and/or plexitis were associated with postoperative recurrence after ileocecal resection for CD. These elements should be taken into account in future algorithm for prevention of postoperative recurrence.

Crohn's disease (CD) mostly affects the terminal ileum and ileocecal region and up to 80% of patients end up requiring surgery. Previously reserved for complicated or refractory forms, surgery is now considered as an alternative to medical treatment in localized ileocecal disease.

This review examines factors associated with response to medical treatment and those associated with the need for surgery in ileocecal CD to identify the patients' profile for whom pharmacotherapy might be enough. Factors associated with the recurrence and the postoperative complications are also reviewed to help the clinician identify patients for whom medical therapy might be preferred.

LIR!C study long-term follow-up data show that 38% of infliximab-treated patients were still treated with infliximab at the end of their follow-up, while 14% had switched to another biologic or had received immunomodulator or corticosteroid and 48% had CD-related surgery. Only the combination with an immunomodulator was associated with a greater likelihood of continuing infliximab. Patients with ileocecal CD for whom pharmacotherapy might be sufficient are probably those with no risk factors for CD-related surgery.In addition, patients with high risk of recurrence or of post-operative complications may benefit more from medical treatment than from surgery.

There is ongoing debate whether the type of anastomosis following intestinal resection for Crohn's disease (CD) can impact on complications and postoperative recurrence. The aim of the present study is to describe the outcomes of side-to-side (S-S) vs end-to-end (E-E) anastomosis after ileocecal resection for CD. A retrospective comparative study was conducted in consecutive CD patients who underwent primary ileocecal resection between 2005 and 2013. All patients underwent colonoscopy 6 months postoperatively to assess endoscopic recurrence, defined as Rutgeerts' score (RS) ≥ i2. Surgical recurrence implied reoperation due to CD activity at the anastomotic site. Modified surgical recurrence was defined as the need for reoperation or balloon-dilation. Perioperative factors related to recurrence were evaluated. Of the 127 patients included, 51 (40.2%) received an E-E anastomosis. Median follow-up was longer in the E-E group (8.62 vs 13.68 years). Apart from the microscopic resection margins, patient, disease and surgical characteristics were similar between both groups. Anastomotic complications were comparable (S-S 5.3% vs E-E 5.8%, p = 1.00)0. Postoperatively, biologicals were used in 55.3% and 62.7% (p = 0.47) in S-S and E-E patients, respectively. Endoscopic recurrence did not differ between S-S and E-E patients (78.9 vs 72.9%, p = 0.37), with no significant difference in RS values between both groups (p = 0.87). Throughout follow-up, a higher surgical (p = 0.04) and modified surgical recurrence (p = 0.002) rate was observed in the E-E anastomosis group. Type of anastomosis was an independent risk factor for modified surgical recurrence. The type of anastomosis did not influence endoscopic recurrence and immediate postoperative disease complications. However, the wide diameter and the morphologic characteristic of the stapled S-S anastomosis resulted in a significant reduced risk for surgical and endoscopic reintervention on the long term.

Prophylaxis of postoperative recurrence is an intractable problem for clinicians and patients with Crohn's disease. Prognostic models are effective tools for patient stratification and personalised management. This systematic review aimed to provide an overview and critically appraise the existing models for predicting postoperative recurrence of Crohn's disease.

Systematic retrieval was performed using PubMed and Web of Science in January 2022. Original articles on prognostic models for predicting postoperative recurrence of Crohn's disease were included in the analysis. The risk of bias was assessed using the Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment (PROBAST) tool. This study was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO; number CRD42022311737).

In total, 1948 articles were screened, of which 15 were ultimately considered. Twelve studies developed 15 new prognostic models for Crohn's disease and the other three validated the performance of three existing models. Seven models utilised regression algorithms, six utilised scoring indices, and five utilised machine learning. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the models ranged from 0.51 to 0.97. Six models showed good discrimination, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of >0.80. All models were determined to have a high risk of bias in modelling or analysis, while they were at low risk of applicability concerns.

Prognostic models have great potential for facilitating the assessment of postoperative recurrence risk in patients with Crohn's disease. Existing prognostic models require further validation regarding their reliability and applicability.

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022311737.

Surgery is required for most patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and further surgery may be necessary if medical treatment fails to control disease activity. The aim of this study was to characterize the risk of, and factors associated with, further surgery following a first resection for Crohn's disease.

Hospital Episode Statistics from England were examined to identify patients with CD and a first recorded bowel resection between 2007 and 2016. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine risk factors for further resectional surgery within 5 years. Prevalence-adjusted surgical rates for index CD surgery over the study period were calculated.

In total, 19 207 patients (median age 39 years, interquartile range 27-53 years; 55% women) with CD underwent a first recorded resection during the study period. 3141 (16%) underwent a further operation during the study period. The median time to further surgery was 2.4 (interquartile range 1.2-4.6) years. 3% of CD patients had further surgery within 1 year, 14% by 5 years and 23% by 10 years. Older age (≥58), index laparoscopic surgery and index elective surgery (adjusted OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.54-0.77; 0.77, 0.67-0.88; and 0.77, 0.69-0.85; respectively) were associated with a reduced risk of further surgery by 5 years. Prior surgery for perianal disease (1.60, 1.37-1.87), an extraintestinal manifestation of CD (1.51, 1.22-1.86) and index surgery in a high-volume centre for CD surgery (1.20, 1.02-1.40) were associated with an increased risk of further surgery by 5 years. A 25% relative and 0.3% absolute reduction in prevalence-adjusted index surgery rates for CD was observed over the study period.

Further surgery following an index operation is common in CD. This risk was particularly seen in patients with perianal disease, extraintestinal manifestations and those who underwent index surgery in a high-volume centre.

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Treatment involves immunosuppression, and surgical intervention is sometimes necessary for patients who do not respond to medical treatment. However, recurrence of the disease is a common complication after surgery.

This case report focuses on a patient with CD who underwent ileocecal resection with Kono-S anastomosis, a surgical technique aimed at reducing recurrence rates.

A 43-year-old male with a known history of CD for 13 years presented with recurring moderate-to-severe lower abdominal pain associated with belching, nausea, subjective fever, and sweats. The patient was on infliximab and azathioprine. Investigations confirmed irregular skip mural thickening of ileal loops with significant luminal narrowing along with stenotic fibrostrictures of the ileum, and mild bilateral sacroiliitis. The patient was treated surgically with an ileocecal resection and a Kono-S anastomosis operation. This case report highlights the advantages and disadvantages of the Kono-S anastomosis technique in treating patients with recurrent CD.

Kono-S anastomosis demonstrates a relative safety profile and carries several potential benefits. However, its wider adoption is limited due to insufficient familiarity among surgeons and the possibility of complications. Nevertheless, embracing Kono-S as the standard anastomosis method holds the promise of significant advantages for individuals with CD.

This case report highlights the potential benefits of Kono-S anastomosis in reducing CD recurrence and provides valuable insights for further research and clinical practice.

Saeed M, Algahiny AT, Elmitwalli OSMMS, et al. An Analysis of the Literature and a Case Study on the Successful Surgical Treatment of a Crohn's Patient Using a Kono-S Anastomosis. Euroasian J Hepato-Gastroenterol 2023;13(1):36-39.

Recurrence of postoperative Crohn's disease neccesitating repeat ileocolic resection is a common problem. The aim of this meta-analysis was to present the collective evidence on the surgical outcomes of this procedure.

PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for eligible studies that reported the surgical outcomes of redo ileocolic resection for Crohn's disease. The primary outcomes were overall and major complication rates. The secondary outcome was anastomotic leak and conversion rate. Risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias in Non-Randomized Studies - of Interventions tool.

This meta-analysis included 12 studies comprising 1,203 patients (50% men). The weighted mean rate of overall complications was 31.8% (95% confidence interval, 25-38.6) and rate of major complications was 8% (95% confidence interval, 5.7-10.2). The weighted mean rate of conversion was 20.9%, and the weighted mean rate of anastomotic leak was 3% (95% confidence interval, 1.8%-4.3%; inconsistency = 0). Male sex (slope coefficient = 0.0001; P = .01), American Society of Anesthesiologists score >3 (slope coefficient = 0.001; P = .04), smoking (slope coefficient = 0.0001; P = .008), preoperative use of steroid therapy (slope coefficient = 0.0001; P = .009), open approach (slope coefficient = 0.0001; P = .005), and having ≥2 previous resections (slope coefficient = 0.0001; P = .02) were significant risk factors for major complications.

Although redo ileocolic resection for patients with recurrent Crohn disease has a relatively high overall complication rate, a majority of these complications are minor and anastomotic leak rate is relatively low. Further prospective multicenter trials are warranted to confirm the conclusions of this meta-analysis.

Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are relapsing and remitting chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Although surgery for UC can provide a cure, surgery for CD is rarely curative. In the past few decades, research has identified risk factors for postsurgical CD recurrence, enabling patient risk stratification to guide monitoring and prophylactic treatment to prevent CD recurrence. A MEDLINE literature review identified articles regarding post-operative monitoring of CD recurrence after resection surgery. In this review, we discuss the evidence on risk factors for post-operative CD recurrence as well as suggestions on post-operative management.

Concomitant lesions in the small intestine are common in Crohn's disease (CD). This study aimed to detect the incidence of small bowel (SB) lesions in patients undergoing surgical resection for symptomatic ileocolic disease and whether concomitant SB lesions are associated with reoperation due to recurrent CD.

In this observational, historical cohort study, consecutive patients with CD undergoing primary ileocolic resection (ICR) from 2007 to 2019 were included. Clinical variables and intraoperative findings were extracted from a prospectively maintained database and analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression models for identifying risk factors of reoperation.

Of the 404 patients included, there were 202 (50%) patients having concomitant SB lesions, and 108 of them underwent concurrent surgical intervention for SB lesions whereas 94 did not. The presence of concomitant SB lesions was a risk factor for reoperation (p = 0.041). Subgroup analysis indicated that patients with concomitant uncomplicated SB lesions left in situ had a comparable rate of reoperation (p = 0.605) whereas patients having concomitant complicated SB lesions undergoing simultaneous surgical intervention showed a higher reoperation rate (P = 0.006) when compared with those without concomitant SB lesions. Interestingly, the adverse effects of concomitant SB lesions can be reversed in the setting of postoperative anti-TNF agents [HR 0.2; 95% CI (0.04-0.9); P=0.040].

Concomitant SB lesion(s), especially those complicated lesions, could be a risk factor for postoperative surgical recurrence in patients undergoing ICR. Active postoperative management strategies such as anti-TNF agents should be provided for these patients.

Anti-TNFα are recommended for preventing Crohn's disease (CD) postoperative recurrence (POR) in patients with risk factors. However, few data exploring anti-TNFα efficacy in patients with preoperative anti-TNFα failure are available so far.

The aim of the present study was to compare the efficacy of anti-TNFα with other biologics and immunosuppressants to prevent POR in this setting.

Consecutive CD patients who underwent bowel resection between January 2010 and December 2019 after failure of at least one anti-TNFα were retrospectively included among three tertiary centers if they started a postoperative medical prophylaxis within the three months after index surgery. The main outcome was to compare rates of objective recurrence (endoscopic or radiological recurrence in absence of colonoscopy) between patients treated with an anti-TNFα agent or another treatment as prevention of POR.

Among the 119 patients included, 71 patients received an anti-TNFα (26 infliximab, 45 adalimumab) and 48 another treatment (18 ustekinumab, 7 vedolizumab, 20 azathioprine and 3 methotrexate) to prevent POR. Rates of objective recurrence at two years were 23.9% in patients treated with anti-TNFα and 44.9% in the others (p = 0.011).

Anti-TNFα remained an effective option to prevent POR for patients operated upon with previous anti-TNFα failure.

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that most commonly affects the ileum. As a result, it is associated with a high lifetime risk of one or more surgical resections. The surgical paradigm is to preserve intestinal length. This study aims to assess the length of ileum resected at the index operation and at subsequent ileocolic resections for Crohn's disease.

This is a retrospective study assessing the clinical and pathological data of patients undergoing ileocolic resection for the management of Crohn's disease over the period 01/01/2002 to 31/07/2020 in two metropolitan Australian hospitals.

One hundred and seventy-six patients were analysed: 130 underwent a single resection; 31 underwent two resections; and 15 underwent three resections. The median age at the first operation was 37.2 years (range 18-69) with 60% of patients female. The median length resected at the first surgery was 17.8 cm (IQR 12.0) for small bowel, and 5.0 cm (IQR 1.0) for large bowel. The length of ileum resected at the first surgery was significantly greater than that of the second (P = 0.0001), without significant differences between the second and third resections (P = 0.49). The time interval from diagnosis to the first surgery had no significant impact on the length of intestine resected at the index ileocolic resection.

In Crohn's disease, the length of ileum removed at first resection is the greatest, with subsequent resection lengths less than the first.

Surgery for ileocolonic Crohn's disease can result in temporary or permanent stoma formation which can be associated with morbidity as parastomal and incisional hernias, readmissions due to obstruction or high stoma output, and have a negative impact on quality of life. We propose an international retrospective trainee-led study of the outcomes of temporary stomas in patients with Crohn's disease. We aim to evaluate both the short-term (6 month) and mid-term (18 month) outcomes of temporary stomas in patients with Crohn's Disease. Retrospective, multicentre, observational study including all patients who underwent elective or emergency surgery for ileal, colonic and ileocolonic Crohn's disease during a 4-year study period. Primary outcome is the proportion of patients who still have an ileostomy or colostomy 18 months after the initial surgery. Secondary outcomes: complications related to stoma formation and stoma reversal surgery; time interval between stoma formation and stoma reversal; risk factors for stoma formation and non-reversal of the stoma. We present the study protocol for a trainee-led, multicentre, observational study. Previous research has demonstrated significant heterogeneity surrounding the formation and the timing of reversal surgery in patients having a temporary ileostomy following colorectal cancer surgery, highlighting the need to address these same questions in Crohn's disease, which is the aim of our research.

The likelihood of a stoma following ileocolic resection (ICR) for Crohn's disease (CD) is an important consideration. This study aims to identify the factors associated with an increased likelihood of a stoma and develop a predictive scoring system (SS).

Patient data were collected from St. Marks Hospital, London, UK and Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, Milan, Italy, on all patients who underwent an ICR for CD from 2005 to 2017. A logistic regression analysis was used for multivariate analysis. The SS was developed from the logistic regression model. The performance of the SS was evaluated using receiver operating characteristics area under the curve (AUROC).

A total of 628 surgeries were included in the analysis. Sixty-nine surgeries were excluded due to missing data. The remaining 559 were divided into two cohorts for the scoring system's development (n = 434) and validation (n = 125). The regression model was statistically significant (p < 0.0001). The statistically significant independent variables included sex, preoperative albumin and haemoglobin levels, surgical access and simultaneous colonic resection. The AUROC for the development and validation cohorts were 0.803 and 0.905, respectively (p < 0.0001). Youden's index suggested the cut-off score of - 95.9, with a sensitivity of 87.6% and a specificity of 62.9%.

Male sex, low preoperative albumin, anaemia, laparoscopic conversion and simultaneous colonic resection were associated with an increased likelihood of requiring a stoma and were used to develop an SS. The calculator is available online at https://rebrand.ly/CrohnsStoma .

The Montreal classification for Crohn's disease includes "age at diagnosis" as a parameter but few is reported about the age at surgery. The aim of this study is to evaluate the short- and long-term differences in the postoperative surgical outcome and disease behaviour, according to the age at the first surgery.

Patients consecutively operated for abdominal Crohn's disease during the period 1986-2012 at our centre were systematically analysed according to their age at first surgery. In our retrospective cohort, the age at first surgery ranged from 13 to 83 years, and patients were arbitrarily divided into four groups: ≤ 19 (G1), 20-39 (G2), 40-59 (G3) and ≥ 60 (G4) years old.

In total, 1051 patients were included with a median follow-up time of 232 months. The four groups exhibited statistically significant differences in age at diagnosis, smoke habit, time between diagnosis and surgery, disease location and behaviour, history of perianal fistula or abscess, severe malnutrition requiring total parental nutrition before surgery, type of surgery, total length of resected bowel, median duration of hospitalization, incidence of abdominal recurrences and number of surgical recurrences. G1 displays an inverse linear trend with time in the severity of clinical characteristics when compared to G4 groups. On the contrary, the incidence of short-term complications, types of abdominal recurrence and presence of concomitant perianal disease did not vary among groups. In addition, at multivariate analysis, the age at surgery and the disease location were the only independent risk factors for abdominal surgical recurrence.

Despite first surgery is extremely more frequent between 20 and 59 years, patients from G1 and G4 groups showed clinical differences and peculiarities when compared to the other age groups. The most indolent CD behaviour and occurrence of surgical recurrence was observed in patients having their first abdominal surgery in the elderly, while patients operated before the age of 19 experienced a more aggressive disease course.

Most patients with Crohn disease (CD), a chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal disease, experience recurrence despite treatment, including surgical resection. However, methods for predicting recurrence remain unclear. This study aimed to predict postoperative recurrence of CD by computational analysis of histopathologic images and to extract histologic characteristics associated with recurrence. A total of 68 patients who underwent surgical resection of the intestine were included in this study and were categorized into two groups according to the presence or absence of postoperative disease recurrence within 2 years after surgery. Recurrence was defined using the CD Activity Index and the Rutgeerts score. Whole-slide images of surgical specimens were analyzed using deep learning model EfficientNet-b5, which achieved a highly accurate prediction of recurrence (area under the curve, 0.995). Moreover, subserosal tissue images with adipose cells enabled highly accurate prediction. Adipose cell morphology showed significant between-group differences in adipose cell size, cell-to-cell distance, and cell flattening values. These findings suggest that adipocyte shrinkage is an important histologic characteristic associated with recurrence. Moreover, there was a significant between-group difference in the degree of mast cell infiltration in the subserosa. These findings show the importance of mesenteric adipose tissue in patient prognosis and CD pathophysiology. These findings also suggest that deep learning-based artificial intelligence enables the extraction of meaningful histologic features.

Postoperative recurrence after ileocaecal resection for fibrostenotic terminal ileal Crohn's disease is a significant issue for patients as it can result in symptom recurrence and requirement for further surgery. There are very few modifiable factors, aside from smoking cessation, that can reduce the risk of postoperative recurrence. Until relatively recently, the surgical technique used for resection and anastomosis had little or no impact on postoperative recurrence rates. Novel surgical techniques such as the Kono-S anastomosis and extended mesenteric excision have shown promise as ways to reduce postoperative recurrence rates. This manuscript will review and discuss the evidence regarding a range of surgical techniques and their potential role in reducing disease recurrence. Some of the techniques have been shown to be associated with significant benefits for patients and have already been integrated into the routine clinical practice of some surgeons, while other techniques remain under investigation. Current techniques such as resection of the mesentery close to the intestine and stapled side to side anastomosis are being challenged. It is looking more likely that surgeons will have a major role to play when it comes to reducing recurrence rates for patients undergoing ileocaecal resection for Crohn's disease.

Redo ileocolic resection in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with significant technical challenges that may be associated with high complication rates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of near-infrared fluorescence angiography with indocyanine green (ICG), often used to evaluate blood supply to the anastomosis in CD patients undergoing repeat ileocolic resection.

This study was a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent redo ileocolic resection using ICG bowel perfusion assessment between 2015 and 2021. Patients were matched and compared on a 1:2 basis with a control group undergoing the same procedure without perfusion assessment.

Twelve patients underwent redo ileocolic resection with ICG perfusion assessment (ICG group). These were compared with 24 patients who underwent the procedure without ICG (control group). Both groups were similar in demographics and operative characteristics including median operating time (255 vs. 255.5 min, p = 0.39) and conversion rate (22% vs. 36.8%, p = 0.68). Median estimated blood loss was significantly higher in the ICG group [150 (50-400) vs. 100 ml (20-125)]. Successful ICG perfusion assessment was seen in all patients in the ICG group and did not change management in any case. Overall postoperative complication rates were comparable between the groups (58.3% vs. 54.1%, p = 0.72). No anastomotic leaks occurred in the ICG group compared with one (1/24, 4.2%) in the control group (p = 0.99).

Fluorescence ICG perfusion assessment is feasible and safe in redo ileocolic resection in patients with CD. Larger studies are needed to evaluate whether this technique should be routinely used in these complex surgical interventions.

Ileocolic resection (ICR) is the most commonly performed operation in Crohn's disease (CD) patients. The surgical report is a vital tool for accessing information to gauge a patient's long-term prognosis and guide treatment decisions. Dictated narrative reports are the traditional method for surgical documentation but often lack essential information. The objective was to assess the quality of operation note in CD patients undergoing ICR.

This was a multi-institutional retrospective cohort collaborative study involving four tertiary inflammatory bowel disease referral centres in the USA and Canada. The patients were consecutive CD patients undergoing ICR between 2014 and 2020. There were no interventions. The main outcome measures were the variability and frequency of 28 critical items in the operation note.

An analysis of 400 consecutive operation reports in four institutions (n = 100/institution) revealed significant variability in almost all variables. The initial surgical approach and wound protector use were the most consistently or frequently reported across all inflammatory bowel disease centres. The limitation was that this was a retrospective cohort study with inevitable selection bias.

This study highlights the need for synoptic reporting in CD patients undergoing ICR.

The pathogenesis of Crohn's disease [CD] is still unclear. Disorders in the mucosal immunoregulation and its crosstalk with the microbiota may represent an important component in tissue injury. We aimed to characterize the molecular immune response distribution within the ileal layers and to evaluate the correlated microbiota in pathological/healthy settings comparing first surgery/relapse clinical conditions.

We enrolled 12 CD patients. A comprehensive analysis of an ileal mucosa, submucosa and serosa broad-spectrum cytokine panel was performed through a multiplex approach. In addition, ileal microbiota composition was assessed through next generation sequencing.

We observed a distinct profile [of IL1-α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-8, ICAM-1, E-Selectin, P-Selectin, IP-10, IL 6 and IL 18] across the CD vs healthy ileal layers; and a different distribution of IFN- γ, P-Selectin, IL-27 and IL-21 in first surgery vs relapse patients. In addition, the phylum Tenericutes, the family Ruminococcaceae, and the genera Mesoplasma and Mycoplasma were significantly enriched in the pathological setting. Significant microbiota differences were observed between relapse and first surgery patients regarding the class Bacteroidia, and the genera Prevotella, Flavobacterium, Tepidimonas and Escherichia/Shigella. Finally, the abundance of the genus Mycoplasma was positively correlated with IL-18.

We describe a dissimilarity of cytokine distribution and microbiota composition within CD and adjacent healthy ileal tissue layers and between first operation and surgical relapse. Our results give potential insight into the dynamics of the gut microbiota-immune axis in CD patients, leading to detection of new biomarkers.

Surgery for Crohn's disease presents unique challenges secondary to the inflammatory nature of the disease. While a minimally invasive approach to colorectal surgery has consistently been associated with better patient outcomes, adoption of laparoscopy in Crohn's disease has been limited due to these challenges. Robotic assisted surgery has the potential to overcome these challenges and allow more complex patients to undergo a minimally invasive operation. Here we describe our approach to robotic assisted surgery for terminal ileal Crohn's disease.

The aim of study to identify the characterizations of Crohn's disease in Egyptian patients and to determine its predictors for postoperative recurrence.

We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study on 15 patients diagnosed as Crohn's disease with surgical interventions. Different characteristics of studied patients were analyzed to determine the risk factors for postoperative recurrence such as age at diagnosis, gender, smoking, main presenting symptom, Montreal classification, perianal disease, laboratory findings and protocol of management including surgical characteristics like age at operation, surgical indication, preoperative medication, surgical approach, and operative findings.

Nine of the studied patients (60%) suffered from clinical postoperative recurrence with mean duration of 23.5 ± 40.6 months. In comparison the demographic, clinical, operative, and medical treatment data between patients with postoperative recurrence of Crohn's disease and those without recurrence, age at diagnosis (mean age 42.9 years) and age at operation (mean 44.7 years) were found statistically significant in postoperative recurrence group (p-value = 0.001). According to Montreal classification of Crohn's disease, patients >40 years were significantly found in postoperative recurrence group, while patients between 17 and 40 years were significantly found in postoperative non-recurrence group (p-value=0.007) and ileal location of Crohn's disease was found significantly in postoperative recurrent group (p-value=0.044). Postoperative biological therapy significantly decreased the incidence of postoperative recurrence in the current study (p-value= 0.041).

Age at diagnosis, age at operation, ileal location of Crohn's disease can significantly predict postoperative recurrence. Also, postoperative biological therapy can significantly decrease the incidence of postoperative recurrence.

The aim of this study was to evaluate factors associated with time to surgical recurrence after Crohn's ileocolectomy.

The most common surgery performed for Crohn's disease is ileocolectomy. Identifying patients at high risk for surgical recurrence may assist with medical and surgical decision-making.

Data were obtained from 409 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) who had undergone ≥1 ileocolectomies at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with CD were evaluated in these patients: rs2076756, rs2066844, and rs2066845 in NOD2, rs4958847 and rs13361189 in IRGM, and rs2241880 in ATG16L1. Genotype and clinical factors were analyzed to determine associations with time to recurrent ileocolectomy. A subgroup analysis was performed on 241 patients naïve to biologics before initial ileocolectomy to assess the effect of biologic therapy on time to recurrent surgery.

There were 286 patients who underwent a single ileocolectomy, whereas 123 required multiple ileocolectomies. Ileocolonic involvement [hazard ratio (HR) 1.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.21-3.00, P = 0.006] and rs2066844 in NOD2 (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.17-2.77, P = 0.007) were associated with decreased time to surgical recurrence by multivariate analysis. In patients naïve to preoperative biologics, the initiation of postoperative biologics was associated with a 40% decreased incidence of surgical recurrence (HR 0.60, CI 0.39-0.93, P = 0.02) over time.

Ileocolonic distribution of disease and the rs2066844 SNP in NOD2 are associated with shorter time to recurrent ileocolectomy. The initiation of postoperative biologics in naïve patients was associated with a reduced incidence of recurrence over time.

Post-surgical recurrence of Crohn's disease (CD) after ileocolonic resection is common. Early identification of features associated with recurrence is a standard procedure of postoperative management, but the prognostic role of such features when detected at later time points is unclear. We compared the predictivity for Crohn's disease recurrence of common clinical-instrumental variables when assessed early (<12 months) or late (>36 months) after surgery.

This retrospective study considered CD patients who had ileocolonic resection and were followed for a median of 7.6 years. Clinical characteristics, post-surgical therapy, endoscopy recurrence (Rutgeerts' score ≥i2) and ultrasound features were compared between subgroups who had a early or late post-surgical assessment. Univariate and multivariate analyses were done to identify variables associated with recurrence (clinical and surgical).

Of 201 patients, 70 (32%) had a early and 39 (19%) had a late post-surgical assessment. The Early and Late subgroups had similar clinical characteristics. Overall, clinical relapse was observed in 131 patients (66%), surgical relapse in 31 (16%), endoscopic recurrence in 149 (75%) and ultrasonographic recurrence in 132 (66%), without significant differences in frequencies between subgroups. By Cox proportional hazard regression, endoscopic recurrence was a significant predictor of clinical recurrence overall (HR=2.31, P = 0.002) and in the Early (HR=3.85, P = 0.002) but not Late subgroup.

The most informative postoperative CD assessment is the one done within the first year of surgery. Later endoscopic evaluations have no prognostic value and should be done only for clinical needs or for research purposes.

Postoperative intra-abdominal septic complications in patients with Crohn's disease undergoing intestinal resection and anastomosis are frequent and difficult to manage.

This study sought to explore the value of preoperative CT enterography to predict intra-abdominal septic complications.

This was a retrospective and prospective observational study.

This study was conducted in a tertiary referral hospital.

Patients with Crohn's disease undergoing primary intestinal resection were enrolled in our study.

The CT enterography severity index was calculated and its ability to predict intra-abdominal septic complications evaluated by multivariate analyses. A prospective study was then performed to assess the reliability of this CT enterography index.

The incidence of postoperative intra-abdominal septic complications in patients undergoing a 1-stage procedure was significantly higher than those undergoing a 2-stage procedure (3/103 vs 24/241; 2.9% vs 10.0%; p = 0.026). A multivariate analysis identified 5 CT enterography parameters, including mesenteric fibrofatty proliferation, intra-abdominal abscess or phlegmon, intestinal fistula, peritoneal effusion, and intestinal dilatation with stricture to be independent predictors of intra-abdominal septic complications (p < 0.001). A nomogram model based on these 5 parameters was constructed. A receiver operating characteristic analysis identified a CT enterography nomogram score cutoff of 175 as a predictor of intra-abdominal septic complications with a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 85.3%. In the prospective study, those patients with a CT enterography nomogram score >175 were assigned to the 2-stage group, which resulted in a similar intra-abdominal septic complication incidence in those undergoing intestinal resection with or without anastomosis (2/82 vs 2/34; p = 0.355).

This study was limited by its single-center scope.

Preoperative CT enterography findings may predict postoperative outcomes and help determine surgical approach in Crohn's disease. Patients with worse intra-abdominal findings confirmed by CT enterography may benefit from stoma creation after intestinal resection. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/B588.

ANTECEDENTES:Las complicaciones sépticas intra-abdominales postoperatorias en pacientes con enfermedad de Crohn sometidos a resección intestinal y anastomosis son frecuentes y difíciles de manejar.OBJETIVO:Este estudio buscó explorar el valor del índice enterográfico por tomografía computada en el pré-operatorio y así poder predecir futuras complicaciones sépticas intra-abdominales.DISEÑO:Estudio observacional retro-prospectivo.AJUSTE:Investigación realizada en un hospital de referencia terciaria.PACIENTES:Se incluyeron en nuestro estudio pacientes con enfermedad de Crohn sometidos a una resección intestinal primaria.PRINCIPALES MEDIDAS DE RESULTADO:Se calculó el índice de gravedad de la enterografía por tomografía axial computada y se evaluó su capacidad para predecir las complicaciones sépticas intra-abdominales mediante un análisis multivariado. Luego se realizó un estudio prospectivo para evaluar la confiabilidad del índice enterográfico por tomografía axial computada.RESULTADOS:La incidencia de complicaciones sépticas intra-abdominales postoperatorias en pacientes sometidos a un procedimiento de un solo tiempo fue significativamente mayor que aquellos sometidos a un procedimiento de dos tiempos (3/103 frente a 24/241; 2,9% frente a 10,0%; p = 0,026). El análisis multivariado identificó cinco parámetros enterográficos por tomografía axial computada, incluidos la proliferación fibrograsa mesentérica, el absceso o flegmón intra-abdominal, la fístula entérica, el derrame peritoneal y la dilatación intestinal debido a estenosis como predictores independientes de complicaciones sépticas intra-abdominales (p <0,001). Se construyó un modelo de Nomograma basado en estos cinco parámetros. Un análisis de las características operatorias del receptor identificó una puntuación de cohortes del nomograma de la enterografía por tomografía axial computada de 175 como predictor de complicaciones sépticas intra-abdominales con una sensibilidad del 83,3% y una especificidad del 85,3%. En el estudio prospectivo, los pacientes con puntuación de nomograma enterográfico por tomografía axial computada superior a 175 fueron asignados al grupo en dos tiempos, lo que resultó en una incidencia similar de complicaciones sépticas intra-abdominales en aquellos sometidos a resección intestinal con o sin anastomosis (2/82 vs. 2/34; p = 0,355).LIMITACIONES:Este estudio estuvo limitado por su alcance unicéntrico.CONCLUSIÓN:Los hallazgos enterográficos por tomografía axial computada pré-operatoria pueden predecir ciertos resultados postoperatorios y ayudar a determinar el abordaje quirúrgico en la enfermedad de Crohn. Los pacientes con peores hallazgos intra-abdominales confirmados por enterografía en la tomografía axial computada podrían beneficiarse de la creación de un estoma después de la resección intestinal. Consulte Video Resumen en http://links.lww.com/DCR/B588. (Traducción-Dr Xavier Delgadillo).