Surgical solutions for refractory J-pouch inlet obstruction.

AIM: Many surgeons consider total proctectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis as the treatment of choice for patients with medically refractory ulcerative colitis or ulcerative colitis with dysplasia. However, obstruction occurring at the pouch inlet or involving the afferent limb can be refractory to nonoperative or endoscopic management. Historically, these refractory obstructions have usually required resection of the pouch. There is now increasing evidence to suggest that pouch salvage surgery may be feasible in these patients. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all patients of a single surgical practice who underwent a neo ileal-pouch anastomosis for J-pouch inlet obstructions between 2000 and 2017. Data collected included patient demographics, preoperative workup, intra-operative findings, type of surgical intervention and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS: Surgical interventions were performed on eight patients with J-pouch inlet obstructions. Six patients had inlet strictures or acute angulations at the inlet, which were either bypassed or resected and primarily anastomosed. Two patients had internal hernias posterior to the mesentery, with volvulus of the pouch. At a mean follow-up of 36.5 months, all patients retained their pouches and the mean number of daily bowel movements was eight. Two major and two minor complications occurred. DISCUSSION: J-pouch inlet obstructions may take years to develop. In patients with obstruction who are refractory to endoscopic or medical treatment, good functional results may be obtained with pouch salvage procedures. With increasing numbers of J-pouches being performed, awareness of novel surgical techniques is important.

Adenocarcinoma complicating restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis with mucosectomy performed by Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator.

This is a report of adenocarcinoma arising in an ileal pouch after restorative proctocolectomy (RPC) with rectal mucosal stripping performed by Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (CUSA) for ulcerative colitis. The CUSA was introduced to simplify and optimize ileal pouch-anal anastomosis with mucosectomy and has been shown to shorten the operative time and reduce blood loss. Its use however, may increase the number of pathology specimens made uninterpretable on account of tissue ablation. In the present case, even though preoperative colonoscopy had clearly shown dysplasia, the surgical pathology report could not detect any neoplasia in the specimen; hence, the patient was not surveyed for pouch cancer. Six years later, the patient presented with intestinal obstruction caused by cancer. While protocols for universal pouch surveillance remain somewhat controversial, we conclude on the basis of this case and a review of the literature that in RPC with mucosectomy performed by CUSA, pouch cancer surveillance is particularly important because remnants of rectal epithelium may have been left behind and tissue ablation may have made the surgical pathology report uninterpretable.

Effect of local therapy for the treatment of superficial esophageal cancer in non-operative candidates.

Surgical resection is the current standard treatment for patients with early stage cancer of the esophagus. In a subset of these patients, comorbidities prohibit the operative risks of a potentially curative esophagectomy. Such patients may be candidates for local endoscopic treatment. We sought to look at a large cohort of patients with clinically localized esophagus cancer to determine whether high-risk patients survive significantly longer after endoscopic therapy than those who receive no local treatment. T0 or T1, N0 esophageal cancer (EC) patients who did not receive surgery or radiation were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry (1998-2003). The patients were assigned into two groups: local endoscopic therapy (excisional biopsy, photodynamic, local destruction, thermal laser, polypectomy, electrocautery, or cryoablation) versus no endoscopic therapy. Differences in survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and a multivariate Cox regression analysis adjusting for potential confounders was used to analyze the effect of local therapy on survival. The study cohort included 166 T0 or T1, N0 EC patients. (75% male; 50% >70 years old). Tumors were adenocarcinoma (60%), squamous cell carcinoma (24%), and other (16%). The 4-year disease-specific survival rate was 84% for patients receiving local therapy compared with 64% for patients receiving no therapy (P < 0.01). On multivariate analysis, patients receiving local therapy had a significantly lower hazard of EC-related death (P = 0.04). There was no difference in survival curves for deaths secondary to causes other than EC. Local endoscopic therapy significantly prolonged survival in high-risk patients with clinical T0 or T1, N0 EC and is a reasonable alternative for those patients who are not candidates for potentially curative esophagectomy.

Surgery for late-onset ulcerative colitis: predictors of short-term outcome.

BACKGROUND: Onset of ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease after the age of 65 (late-onset disease) is not common, and is usually associated with a worse prognosis. We review our experience with late-onset ulcerative colitis and define the predictors of short-term outcome. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of our surgical experience with 33 patients suffering from late-onset ulcerative colitis. The medical records of 17 women and 16 men who had surgery between 1984 and 1999 were reviewed for age at surgery, sex, duration of disease, extent of disease, indications for surgery, surgical procedures and outcome. Additionally, we identified predictors of outcome. RESULTS: The median age at surgery was 74 years (range 65-83). The most common indication for surgery was refractoriness to medical treatment. There were 4 deaths for a mortality rate of 12%, and 7 major complications. There was no mortality for elective procedures. On univariate analysis, albumin levels of 2.8 g/dl or less and urgent surgery were predictors of poor outcome. Disease of short duration (3 years or less from onset of disease to surgery) was also associated with a poor outcome, but this did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that in the elderly population suffering from late-onset ulcerative colitis and requiring an operation, urgent surgery and hypoalbuminemia are predictors of adverse outcome. Age at surgery, sex and the extent of colonic involvement did not influence outcome. Low complication and death rates should be expected for elective procedures in the elderly.

Surgery for ulcerative colitis in elderly persons: changes in indications for surgery and outcome over time.

HYPOTHESIS: Medical therapy has changed the indications for surgery over the last 4 decades. Advances in perioperative care have significantly improved the outcome. DESIGN: The medical records of all patients 65 years and older who underwent surgery for ulcerative colitis during a 40-year period were analyzed retrospectively. SETTING: Tertiary referral center. PATIENTS: One hundred thirteen consecutive patients 65 years and older who underwent surgery for ulcerative colitis between January 1, 1960, and June 30, 1999. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in elective and urgent indications for surgery. Changes over time in outcome and the factors that brought about these changes. Predictors of poor outcome in an elderly population with ulcerative colitis. RESULTS: One hundred thirteen patients were divided into 3 cohorts of 38, 38, and 37 consecutive patients admitted to the hospital during the periods 1960 through 1984, 1985 through 1993, and 1994 through 1999, respectively. Indications for surgery and morbidity and mortality rates have changed with time. Dysplasia has replaced carcinoma as a major indication for elective surgery (P =.001). Toxic megacolon has become significantly less common as an indication for urgent surgery (P =.001). Surgery-associated adverse outcomes have decreased significantly from 50% (13% deaths, 37% major complications) to 27% (3% deaths, 24% major complications) (P =.04). Male sex, an albumin level of 2.8 g/dL or less, and urgent surgery were found to be independent predictors of poor outcome. CONCLUSIONS: In our referral center, the indications for urgent and elective surgery have changed during the past 4 decades from toxic megacolon and carcinoma, to disease refractory, to medical therapy and dysplasia, respectively. Morbidity and mortality have decreased dramatically over time. Urgent procedures, low levels of albumin, and male sex are all predictors of poor outcome.

Ulcerative colitis and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Inflammatory bowel disease is often associated with hematologic abnormalities such as anemia, leukocytosis, and thrombocytosis. We report for the first time an unusual case of ulcerative colitis complicated by thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. Severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding resolved with subtotal colectomy, but the thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura proved unresponsive to medical treatment. Splenectomy and completion proctectomy were performed, ultimately resulting in a successful outcome.

Cancer in inflammatory bowel disease.

The first case of cancer in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) was reported at The Mount Sinai Hospital in 1925 in a patient with ulcerative colitis (UC). In 1956, carcinoma of the jejunum was described in a patient with regional enteritis (Crohn's disease [CD]). IBD cancers are preceded by dysplasia, and the relative risk increases with duration of the IBD. CD cancers are more proximally distributed than are UC cancers. Both tend to occur at the site of the overt disease and both develop at earlier ages (47 UC, 50 CD) than in the de novo colorectal cancer (70 years). The absolute cumulative colon cancer frequencies (8% UC, 7% CD) are identical after 20 years, emphasizing the importance of regular surveillance in both types of IBD. Moreover, the increased risk of colon cancer exists in patients with CD even when CD is confined to the small bowel, and patients with IBD have increased risks of developing extraintestinal and reticuloendothelial tumors in both CD and UC, as well as ano-vulval and malignant melanoma in CD. Colitic colorectal cancers are often diffuse, extensive, multiple and right-sided with insidious presentation. The prognosis is no worse after operation than that of de novo colon cancer. Most small bowel cancers in CD are adenocarcinomas, rather than sarcomas, and present at a younger age, more diffusely and more distally than de novo cancers, usually making them undiagnosable at a curable early stage; indeed, two-thirds present with intestinal obstruction. Strictures of the colon are common in patients with IBD, and they have a 10-fold risk for colon cancer, 30-fold for UC, and 6-fold for CD. The risk increases with disease duration. The indications for surgery are absolute, relative and incidental, and the procedures include segmental resection, total proctocolectomy, subtotal colectomy and palliative procedures.

Rectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease: natural history and implications for radiation therapy.

PURPOSE: There exists little information concerning the natural history of rectal cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In addition, the tolerance of pelvic irradiation in these patients is unknown. We analyzed the largest series of patients with IBD and rectal cancer in order to determine the natural history of the disease as well as the effect and tolerance of pelvic irradiation. METHODS AND MATERIALS: A retrospective analysis of 47 patients with IBD and rectal cancer treated over a 34-year period (1960-1994) was performed. Thirty-five patients had ulcerative colitis and 12 patients had Crohn's disease. There were 31 male patients and 16 female patients. The stage (AJC) distribution was as follows: stage 0 in 5 patients, stage I in 13 patients, stage II in 7 patients, stage III in 13 patients, and stage IV in 9 patients. Surgical resection was performed in 44 patients. In two of these patients, preoperative pelvic irradiation was given followed by surgery. Twenty of these patients underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy (12 were treated with chemotherapy and pelvic irradiation and 8 with chemotherapy alone). Three patients were found to have unresectable disease and were treated with chemotherapy alone (2 patients) or chemotherapy and radiation therapy (RT) (1 patient). Radiation complications were graded using the RTOG acute and late effects scoring criteria. Follow-up ranged from 4 to 250 months (median 24 months). RESULTS: The 5-year actuarial results revealed an overall survival (OS) of 42%, a disease-free survival (DFS) of 43%, a pelvic control rate (PC) of 67% and a freedom from distant failure (FFDF) of 47%. DFS decreased with increasing T stage with a 5-year rate of 86% for patients with Tis-T2 disease compared to 10% for patients with T3-T4 disease (p < 0.0001). The presence of lymph node metastases also resulted in a decrease in DFS with a 5-year rate of 67% for patients with NO disease compared to 0% for patients with N1-N3 disease (p < 0.0001). DFS decreased with increasing histopathologic grade with 5-year DFS rates of 71%, 52%, and 24% for grades 1, 2, and 3 respectively (p = 0.03). The T and N stages showed a statistically significant effect on pelvic control, with 5-year PC rates of 60% for Tis-2 versus 26% for T3-4 (p = 0.002) and 79% for NO versus 51% for N1-3 (p = 0.007). The histopathologic grade of the tumor did not significantly affect pelvic control. An analysis of high-risk patients (30) with T3-T4 or N1-N3 disease revealed at 5 years an OS of 9%, a DFS of 10%, a PC rate of 26%, and FFDF of 20%. In this subset of patients, there was a trend toward improved pelvic control in patients receiving RT (14 patients) with a 5-year PC of 60% compared to a rate of 23% for those patients not irradiated (16 patients). Acute complications (grade 3 or >) were noted in three patients (20%) receiving pelvic irradiation +/- chemotherapy and these included two cases of grade 3 skin reactions and one case of grade 4 gastrointestinal toxicity. Two patients (13%) developed small bowel obstruction at 2 and 4 months, respectively, postirradiation which were managed conservatively. There were no long-term complications in patients irradiated. CONCLUSION: Treatment results are comparable to those historically reported for non-IBD-related rectal cancer although the subset of high-risk patients appeared to have a poorer outcome. In light of this finding and the ability of these patients to tolerate chemotherapy and pelvic irradiation, aggressive adjuvant therapy should be given to IBD-associated rectal cancer patients with high-risk features.

Comparison of primary and reoperative surgery in patients with Crohns disease.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to determine the clinical results of patients with Crohns disease who require surgical resection. The outcome of patients undergoing initial surgery was compared with those having reoperation. METHODS: One hundred sixty-four patients undergoing intestinal resection for Crohns disease at The Mount Sinai Hospital from 1976 to 1989 were studied prospectively. The mean duration of follow-up was 72 months. RESULTS: Ninety patients (55%) underwent initial intestinal resection whereas 74 patients (45%) underwent reoperation for recurrent disease. Patients undergoing reoperation were older (33.4 vs. 38.7 years), had longer durations of disease (8.7 vs. 15.2 years), had shorter resections (60 vs. 46 cm), and were more likely to require ileostomy. Forty-seven percent of the patients with multiple previous resections required an ileostomy. This group also received a mean of 2.3 U blood in the perioperative period and showed a trend to increased symptomatic recurrence (49% vs. 71% at 5 years). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with Crohns disease undergoing first and second reoperation have outcomes similar to those in patients undergoing primary resection. Patients requiring multiple reoperations are more likely to require blood transfusions and permanent ileostomy and to show a greater trend to early symptomatic recurrence.

Management of varicella infection during the course of inflammatory bowel disease.

OBJECTIVE: To study the natural history and outcome of varicella infection developing in steroid treated inflammatory bowel disease. BACKGROUND: Varicella infection occurring in immunosuppressed or immunocompromised patients is a common problem with a significant mortality. Varicella infection during the course of inflammatory bowel disease has been reported in a small number of patients with at least one fatality. METHODS: Four young patients with inflammatory bowel disease who developed varicella infection while on immunosuppressive therapy, steroids, or azathioprine were studied. In each patient the infection was severe, and the three most recently treated patients received acyclovir. RESULTS: All four patients developed severe varicella infection while receiving immunosuppressive therapy for their disease. Three patients were treated with intravenous acyclovir with concomitant reduction of steroid dosage and recovered completely. One patient, treated in 1980 with antibiotics and reduction in steroids, did not receive acyclovir and also survived. CONCLUSIONS: Varicella infection is a relatively uncommon occurrence in inflammatory bowel disease. If varicella infection occurs, prompt diagnosis and treatment with acyclovir and concomitant reduction in immunosuppressive therapy (reduction in steroid dosage and discontinuation of azathioprine) should be initiated immediately to limit viremia and avoid fatal complications.

Carcinoid tumor and inflammatory bowel disease: a study of eleven cases and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the frequency and outcome of carcinoid tumors in a large series of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). METHODS: Eleven patients with carcinoid tumors associated with IBD were admitted or readmitted to The Mount Sinai Hospital between 1960 and 1995. These cases were derived from two sources, seven from our clinical series of 3326 IBD patients (0.2%) and four more recent cases from the records of our Pathology Department. Six of the cases were associated with Crohn's disease and five with ulcerative colitis. RESULTS: Nine of the 11 carcinoids were found in the appendix, and 2 were found in the ileum. All carcinoids were found incidentally after surgery for IBD; none of the patients had distant metastases or carcinoid syndrome. Of the 11 cases, 3 were associated with an additional noncarcinoid tumor: 2 with adenocarcinoma of the colon and 1 with endometrial carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be no evidence to substantiate a direct association between IBD and carcinoid tumor, because almost all cases were found incidentally after surgery for IBD, with a frequency in operated IBD patients similar to that reported for patients without IBD.

Patterns of postoperative recurrence in fistulizing and stenotic Crohn's disease. a retrospective cohort study of 71 patients.

To compare the time course of clinical recurrences and reoperations following primary resections for fistulization versus fibrostenotic obstruction in ileal Crohn's disease, we performed a retrospective cohort study of 71 patients undergoing their first resection at The Mount Sinai Hospital between 1961 and 1984. Among these 71 patients, 35 were classified as fistulizing and 36 as fibrostenotic. Follow-up was 93% complete through 1990, with a median follow-up of 73 months to reoperation and 105 months to last contact. The fistulizing and fibrostenotic patients experienced virtually identical numbers of clinical recurrences: 25 from the former group and 24 from the latter. The recurrences appeared very slightly earlier among the fistulizing than among the fibrostenotic group, but the difference did not approach statistical significance. Only 18 patients came to reoperation during follow-up: 12 from the fistulizing and 6 from the fibrostenotic group. The earliest reoperation in the fistulizing group occurred at 14 months and in the fibrostenotic group at 44 months. There was a trend for earlier reoperation in the fistulizing group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Different clinical patterns of Crohn's disease have yet to be correlated with distinctive subclinical biologic markers.

Mesenteric fibromatosis in Crohn's disease.

We have seen two patients with Crohn's disease and mesenteric fibromatosis, the least common form of desmoid tumor. Although both gastrointestinal and nongastrointestinal tumors are relatively common in Crohn's disease, this type of tumor has not been seen in > 1,650 patients operated on for this condition. As the only common factor in the two male patients discussed in this article was previous intestinal resections, surgical trauma may be a predisposing factor in the occurrence of these desmoid tumors. We will continue to search for other examples in patients with Crohn's disease.

Colorectal adenocarcinoma in Crohn's disease.

OBJECTIVE: The authors' aim was to review the clinical features and estimate the long-term survival of patients with colorectal carcinoma complicating Crohn's disease. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Recent studies have demonstrated a significantly increased risk of colorectal carcinoma in patients with Crohns disease. METHODS: The authors reviewed retrospectively the medical records of 30 patients with Crohn's disease admitted to The Mount Sinai Hospital between 1960 and 1989 in whom colorectal adenocarcinoma developed. All patients were operated on and follow-up was complete for all patients to 10 years after operation, to the time of death, or to the closing date of the study in December 1989. RESULTS: The 30 patients in the series had 33 colorectal adenocarcinomas; three patients (10%) presented with two synchronous cancers. The patients were relatively young (mean age, 53 years) and had long-standing Crohn's disease (duration >20 years in 87%). The 5-year actuarial survival was 44% for the overall series: 100% for stage A, 86% for stage B, 60% for stage C. All five patients with excluded bowel tumor died of large bowel cancer within 2.4 years; by contrast, the actuarial 5-year survival for patients with in-continuity tumors was 56%. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence, characteristics, and prognosis of colorectal carcinoma complicating Crohn's disease are similar to the features of cancer in ulcerative colitis, including young age, multiple neoplasms, long duration of disease, and greater than a 50% 5-year survival rate (without excluded loops). These observations suggest the advisability of surveillance programs for Crohn's disease of the colon similar to those for ulcerative colitis of comparable duration and extent.

Is there clinical, epidemiological and molecular evidence for two forms of Crohn's disease?

Crohn's disease is an idiopathic chronic panenteric intestinal inflammatory disease. Data concerning the pathogenesis of, and the immune responses occurring in, Crohn's disease are often conflicting. Current therapy is empirical and either non-specifically immunosuppressive or surgically ablative in nature. Although controversial, Crohn's disease may be thought of as having two different presentations, an aggressive fistulizing form and an indolent obstructive form. This is analogous to the tuberculoid and lepromatous manifestations of leprosy. If correct, this subclassification may provide key insights into the pathogenesis and differing host immune responses in Crohn's disease and also allow the development of more rational therapies.

Recurrence of Crohn's disease in end ileostomies.

: It appears well established that the recurrence rates following operations for Crohn's disease of ileum and colon are higher after anastomotic operations than after an end ileostomy. To obtain further information regarding the rate of recurrence following end ileostomy we reviewed the charts of 182 patients: 117 with involvement of the ileum as well as the colon, and 65 with Crohn's colitis only, who were operated upon at the Mt. Sinai Hospital during 1952-1984. They were followed until death or the first ileostomy revision or the last contact. Of the ileocolitis group, 50 patients (43%), and of the colitis group, nine patients (14%) required an ileostomy revision. Of the 50 with ileocolitis, 34 (29%) and four of the colitis group (6.2%) had revisions done primarily for recurrent Crohn's disease at or near the stoma. The estimated overall cumulative probability of recurrence was 50% twenty years following ileostomy, and was significantly higher in the ileocolitis group than in the colitis group (64% vs. 15%; p < 0.001), with mean follow-up durations of 6.5 and 7.5 years, respectively. The probability of ileostomy revision for any reason was also significantly higher for patients with ileocolitis (74% vs. 34%; p < 0.001). We conclude that the site of initial Crohn's disease plays a role in the recurrence of disease in an end ileostomy, with a better outlook for patients with colonic involvement alone.

Rarity of fistulas in Crohn's disease of the jejunum.

: To compare the fistulizing tendency of Crohn's disease of the jejunum versus the ileum, we reviewed the records of 1,920 patients with Crohn's disease admitted to the Mount Sinai Hospital between 1960 and 1994. Fifty-eight of the cases (3%) had jejunal involvement. Of these 58 patients, six (10%) had fistulas originating from the jejunum. Four of the cases of jejunal fistulas came from a subgroup of 41 patients who had both jejunum and distal ileum involvement (10%); by contrast, there were 12 cases of ileal fistulas in the same subgroup (29%, p = 0.05). As another measure of the relative rarity of jejunal versus ileal fistulization, there were 252 cases of ileal fistulas in our overall series among 723 patients with distal ileal Crohn's disease (34%), compared with the 10% (six of 60) incidence of jejunal fistulization (p = 0.001). Only 50% (316) of our cases of jejunal fistulization were spontaneous, compared with 86% of a random sample (43 of 50) from our 252 cases of fistulas with ileitis. The development of jejunal fistulas did not appear to depend upon the presence of stricturing; they were nearly as common among nonstricturing cases (two of 27, 7%) as among stricturing cases (four of 31, 13%; p = NS). The inherent proclivity of Crohn's disease to fistulize thus appears to increase with a progressively distal location in the gastrointestinal tract.

Molecular evidence for two forms of Crohn disease.

Recent epidemiological evidence suggests that there are two forms of Crohn disease (CD): perforating and nonperforating. We hypothesized that, just as with tuberculoid and lepromatous leprosy, differences in the two forms of CD would be both identified and determined by differences in the host immune response. Resected intestinal tissue from control patients as well as perforating and nonperforating CD patients was evaluated for mRNA levels. We employed 32P PCR amplification with published or custom-designed primers of a housekeeping gene (beta-actin); a human T-cell marker (CD3-delta); and the cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha, transforming growth factor beta, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interleukin (IL) 1 beta, IL-1ra, and IL-6. Differences were identified with IL-1 beta (control = 162 +/- 57 vs. perforating = 464 +/- 154 vs. nonperforating = 12,582 +/- 4733; P < or = 0.02) and IL-1ra (control = 1337 +/- 622 vs. perforating = 2194 +/- 775 vs. nonperforating = 9715 +/- 2988; P < or = 0.02). These data corroborate the epidemiological observation that there are two forms of CD. Nonperforating CD, the more benign form, is associated with increased IL-1 beta and IL-1ra mRNA expression. We conclude that it is the host immune response that determines which form of CD becomes manifest in any given individual and discuss the investigative, diagnostic, and therapeutic implications of these observations.

Enterolithiasis, refractory anemia, and strictures of Crohn's disease.

In Crohn's disease, multiple areas of small bowel stenosis are relatively common, but there are only 11 reported cases with stenosis complicated by enterolithiasis. We describe three patients with multiple strictures, enterolithiasis, and refractory iron deficiency anemia. The chronic anemia was severe, requiring multiple transfusions in two patients. One patient developed a perforation, and a second had cancer within one of the saccular dilatations between strictures. Management of this stricture-enterolith-anemia triad requires removal of the enteroliths and correction of the strictures by strictureplasty and/or resection. If the operation of choice is strictureplasty, however, meticulous inspection and biopsy of each proposed site of enteroplasty is essential to rule out carcinoma.

Prediction of early symptomatic recurrence after intestinal resection in Crohn's disease.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to identify clinical criteria that may help recognize patients with Crohn's disease who are at high risk for early symptomatic postoperative recurrence. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Currently, no reliable criteria are available to help recognize patients who are prone to experience early symptomatic recurrence. METHODS: One hundred sixty-four patients undergoing intestinal resection for Crohn's disease at the Mount Sinai Hospital between 1976 and 1989 were studied prospectively. Patients with symptomatic recurrent disease within 36 months were defined as having an early recurrence. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that the number of anastomoses was the most important prognostic indicator (p = 0.001), followed by inflammation at the resection margins (p < 0.05). Patients requiring an ileostomy had a significantly lower early recurrence rate than those having single or multiple anastomoses. There was no significant correlation between inflammation at the margins and early recurrence in patients requiring an ileostomy (n = 38), or a single anastomosis (n = 98). When the margins were examined in the 28 patients with 2 or more anastomoses, 10 of 11 patients (91%) with inflammation at either margin experienced early recurrence. Patients having multiple anastomoses with normal margins had the same recurrence rate as patients with single anastomosis (42%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with extensive Crohn's disease requiring multiple resections with anastomosis, especially when microscopic inflammation is present at the margins, are at very high risk for symptomatic early recurrence. Ileostomy seems to be associated with a significantly lower early recurrence potential than anastomosis. Further study is needed to determine whether avoidance of multiple anastomosis and adjuvant medical treatment can alter the course of the disease after intestinal resection in patients at high risk for early symptomatic recurrence.