Surgeon's study reveals guidelines for strictures/surgery or not

njmom

Veteran Member

Joined : Apr 2006

Posts : 1885

Posted 10/31/2007 3:56 AM (GMT 0)

The following link mentions a longitudinal study (20 years) conducted by a surgeon on Crohn's. The key findings of the study, mentioned in the link:

- Strictureplasty carries a lower risk of stricture recurrence than resection.

- If a patient has a stricture, but the stricture doesn't cause any symptoms, the patient might still want to consider a strictureplasty because eventually 25% of strictures will cause problems.

- However, if the stricture can only be removed via a resection, then the surgeon advises the patient wait, because there is still a 75% chance that the stricture will not cause "any harm."

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/63601.php

JudyK89

Veteran Member

Joined : Dec 2006

Posts : 1986

Posted 10/31/2007 12:49 PM (GMT 0)

I discussed this with my surgeon and while he agrees with this study 100%, he explained there are still many reasons to have a resection, the length of the stricture being one of them, and he really doesn't know until he goes in for many of them. I think most of us don't even get a referral to the surgeon unless/until the stricture has been deemed "harmful", i.e.: multiple obstructions, fissures, fistulas, abscesses.

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