Published online May 28, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i20.6097
Peer-review started: December 29, 2014
First decision: January 22, 2015
Revised: February 4, 2015
Accepted: March 18, 2015
Article in press: March 19, 2015
Published online: May 28, 2015
Processing time: 153 Days and 16.5 Hours
Crohn’s disease (CD) still remains a challenging chronic inflammatory disorder, both for colorectal surgeons and gastroenterologists. The need for recurrent surgery following primary intestinal resection is still considerable, though recent evidence suggested a declining rate of recurrence. Several conflicting surgical parameters have been identified that might impact on the postoperative outcome positively, such as access to the abdomen, anastomotic configuration or type of disease. Additionally, promising results have been achieved with the increased use of immunosuppressive medications in CD. Consequently, the question arises if we are getting better as a result of novel medical and surgical strategies.
Core tip: Crohn’s disease still remains a challenging chronic inflammatory disorder, both for colorectal surgeons and gastroenterologists. There is still a considerable risk for recurrent surgery following intestinal resection, although recent evidence suggests a declining number of recurrence rates. Consequently, the question arises if we are getting better as a result of novel medical and surgical strategies.