[Surgical treatment of Crohn disease of the small intestine]

Abstract

The evolution of the surgical treatment of Crohn's disease has three attainable aims: to be minimal, safe and therefore timely. Conservative surgery is increasingly the trend in surgical treatment of small-bowel Crohn's disease. Patients with Crohn's disease are managed non-surgically until complications of the disease or failure to thrive or significant side effects of medication occur, and then--at this point--surgery usually occurs. Once a complication has developed, it is not recommended to wait for this to become further complicated. Resectional surgery and strictureplasty for Crohn's disease of the small bowel are today methods of choice. Laparoscopic intestinal surgery is going to be of a great significance. Abdominal surgery for Crohn's disease is not curative and forms only part of a lifetime management of the patient.