Comparison of primary anastomosis and staged surgery in emergency treatment of complicated Crohn's disease.

OBJECTIVES: Staged surgery (SS) and primary anastomosis (PA) are alternatives to emergency surgery in Crohn's disease (CD). This study aimed to compare postoperative patient outcomes and medical cost of SS and PA for CD emergencies. METHODS: Consecutive patients with CD undergoing emergency surgery between December 1997 and January 2017 in three centers were included. The PA and SS groups were compared regarding patient outcomes including postoperative complications and surgical recurrence, as well as hospitalization costs. RESULTS: Altogether 96 (39.5%) patients underwent an emergency PA, and 147 (60.5%) underwent an emergency SS. The incidence of intra-abdominal septic complications (IASC) in the PA group was 15.6% compared with 7.5% in the SS group (P = 0.04). The length of hospitalization was longer (32.36 ± 1.76 d vs 19.33 ± 2.36 d, P <0.01) and the hospitalization cost was higher in the SS group (USD 15 811.1 ± 1697.1 vs USD 8345.3 ± 919.5, P <0.01) than the PA group. SS correlated with a lower surgical recurrence rate than PA (log-rank test, P = 0.04). Presence of diffuse peritonitis, perforating or colonic disease, decision of operation choice made by a senior consultant and more than two concurrent surgical indications were related to the need for SS in emergencies. Localized peritonitis, body mass index (>18.5 kg/m2 ) and iatrogenic perforation were significantly associated with a low risk of IASC in the PA group. CONCLUSION: SS can be performed with limited IASC and low surgical recurrence rates for surgical emergencies in CD, although it increases hospitalization costs and delays discharge.

Prospective evaluation of intestinal decompression in treatment of acute bowel obstruction from Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: Conservative therapy for Crohn's disease (CD)-related acute bowel obstruction is essential to avoid emergent surgery. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of using a long intestinal decompression tube (LT) in treatment of CD with acute intestinal obstruction. METHODS: This is a prospective observational study. Comparative analysis was performed in CD patients treated with LT (the LT group) and nasogastric tube (the GT group). The primary outcome was the avoidance of emergent surgery. Additionally, predictive factors for failure of decompression and subsequent surgery were investigated. RESULTS: There were 27 and 42 CD patients treated with LT and GT, respectively, in emergent situations. Twelve (44.4%) patients using LT were managed conservatively without laparotomy, while only nine (21.4%) patients in the GT group were spared from emergent surgery (P < 0.05). Both in surgery-free and in surgery patients, the time to alleviation of symptoms was significantly shorter in the LT groups than in the GT groups (both P < 0.01). C-reactive protein decrease after intubation and 48-hour drainage volume >500 mL were predictors of unavoidable surgery (both P < 0.05). The rate of temporary stoma and incidence of incision infection in the LT surgery group were significantly lower than those in the GT group (both P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in the frequency of medical and surgical recurrences between the LT and GT groups (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic placement of LT could improve the emergent status in CD patients with acute bowel obstruction. The drainage output and changes in C-reactive protein after intubation could serve as practical predictive indices for subsequent surgery. Compared to traditional GT decompression, LT decompression was associated with fewer short-term complications and did not appear to affect long-term recurrence.