Current gastroenterology reports
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Curr Gastroenterol Rep · Feb 2011
ReviewPrevention and treatment of postoperative Crohn's disease recurrence: an update for a new decade.
Poorly controlled Crohn's disease (CD) often requires surgery for such complications as strictures, fistulas, and abscesses. The goal of postoperative treatment is to suppress or prevent inflammation and maintain mucosal healing. Probiotics, antibiotics, 5-aminosalicylates, immunomodulators, and antibodies to tumor necrosis factor are all used to prevent postoperative recurrence. ⋯ Whatever postoperative therapy is used, the mucosa should be assessed within 12 months to determine if the approach is effective. If active inflammation is found, then treatment should be intensified. By treating CD aggressively after a first surgery, future surgeries can be delayed or averted.