What Is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s disease is a condition in which the lining of the digestive tract becomes inflamed, which usually results in abdominal pain, fatigue, diarrhea, and weight loss. In most cases, Crohn’s disease causes discomfort that can interfere with a person’s everyday life; however, in severe cases, it can result in long-term debilitation or even death.
Fortunately, most people who have Crohn’s disease respond well either to non-surgical therapy or surgical treatment. For some people, treatment can at least bring their symptoms under control; for others, treatment can cause the disease to go into remission for several years.
Surgery for Crohn’s Disease
Surgery for Crohn’s disease is commonly recommended when non-surgical therapies prove ineffective at controlling the disease. Our surgeons have extensive experience at performing minimally invasive laparoscopic colon surgery, including:
- Colon resection surgery: This is the most common type of surgery performed to treat Crohn’s disease. During this surgery, the diseased portion of the intestine is removed through tiny incisions. Our surgeons then decide whether it is advisable to reconnect the bowel. If so, the two healthy parts are reconnected in a procedure called anastomosis.
- Stricturoplasty: This procedure is performed to widen narrow portions of the small intestine.
- Proctocolectomy: This procedure involves the removal of the entire colon and the rectum, and the subsequent creation of an alternate route for passing solid waste from the body. While this may strike some as drastic, proctocolectomy reduces the risk of the recurrence of Crohn’s disease more than any other type of surgery. Nevertheless, for most patients, proctocolectomy should be considered a last resort.
As stated above, the surgery most commonly performed to treat Crohn’s disease at our practice is colon resection surgery. The goal of the procedure is to remove as little bowel as possible and use drug and other therapies to prevent the disease from affecting the healthy remaining bowel for as long as possible. If the disease recurs, further bowel can be removed.
Learn More about the Surgical Treatment of Crohn’s Disease
To learn more about the surgical treatment of Crohn’s disease, please contact Laparoscopic Surgical Center of New York today.
