Crohns disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is sometimes treated with surgery.
Verywell / Ellen Lindner
What Is Surgery for Crohns Disease?
Surgery may be required when medications are not effective or are causing severe symptoms, or complications develop.
Verywell / Ellen Lindner
Surgery is used to remove inflamed or damaged parts of the intestine and/or to manage complications.
Surgery for Crohns disease may be done on an emergency or elective basis.
It can help with improving quality of life and managing the disease.
Surgery, however, is not a cure for Crohns disease.
Types of Surgeries
Abscess drainage: People with Crohns disease may be at a greater risk forabscesses.
This might occur in the glands that surround the anus.
Abscesses can be painful and difficult to cope with, so they might be drained to provide relief.
Colectomy:During acolectomy, the colon is removed.
Some or part of the rectum is left.
Different types of surgerytreat fistulasdepending on their extent and location.
Afistulotomymight be done for a fistula in or around the anus that connects to the skin.
It might be created after part or all of the large intestine is removed.
An ileostomy can be temporary or permanent.
Proctectomy:Proctectomysurgery is the removal of the anus and the rectum and requires an ostomy to be created.
A proctectomy might be done when Crohns disease affects theperianalarea (the skin around the anus).
Resection: A resection removes a damaged or inflamed portion of the small orlarge intestine.
The two healthy ends of the intestine are then attached back together.
Strictureplasty:A stricture is anarrowing in the intestine.
This can occur when inflammation or scar tissue causes the wall of the intestine to thicken.
A narrowing can mean that a blockage is more likely.
There may be the possibility oflaparoscopic surgeryvs.
open surgery for some procedures.
In laparoscopic surgery, only small incisions are made and a camera guides the instruments.
In open surgery, a larger incision is made to reach the area.
Your healthcare provider will determine which is the best option for you.
Contraindications
Not everyone is a good candidate for surgery.
Your healthcare provider will weigh the risks of surgery against the benefits.
Consult your surgeon and the rest of their team to understand the potential risks.
Purpose of Crohns Disease Surgery
The main reason for surgery for Crohns is to manage the disease.
The key in of surgery used will depend on the extent of the inflammation and any complications.
However, as medications to manage the disease continue to improve, there are fewer people who require surgery.
How to Prepare
Preparing for surgery will depend on the key in of surgery and the timing.
Preparing for some surgery might mean cleaning out the bowel, similar to how you wouldprepare for a colonoscopy.
Other types of surgery might need preparation, including fasting, stopping certain medications, or taking antibiotics.
This will help answer questions about what will happen before, during, and after surgery.
Some types of surgery require a stay in the hospital, averaging from three to seven days.
The day of surgery will mean checking in to the hospital.
Patients will have their vitals taken and meet with the surgical team.
For outpatient surgery, there may be local medications given to numb the surgical area.
The surgical site might also need preparation to prevent possible infection.
Recovery
For many types of surgery, recovery will include pain management.
This may include intravenous (IV) medications for more extensive inpatient procedures.
For outpatient surgery, there could be prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) oral pain medications.
Consult your healthcare provider to learn how to manage pain after surgery.
For procedures such as a resection or ostomy surgery, patients will be managed in the hospital.
Patients may have an IV, surgical drains, or anasogastric (NG) tubein the nose.
On average, recovery can take between four and six weeks.
It’s important to note that there is a possibility of Crohn’s recurring after surgery.
Its important to understand how to care for any surgical sites at home.
In the long term, patients should expect some relief from the symptoms for which they had the surgery.
In some cases, that might also mean a change in medications and other treatments.
Several types of surgery are used to treatCrohns disease.
These include abscess drainage, colectomy, fistula repair, ileostomy,proctectomy, resection, and strictureplasty.
Some of these procedures may be done with minimally invasive laparoscopy, while others may be open surgical procedures.
They might be done as outpatient surgery or require a hospital stay.
Consult your healthcare provider to discuss which procedure may be best for you and any potential risks.
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