What Is Crohn’s Disease?
Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, wherein parts of the digestive system become swollen and develop ulcers. It can develop anywhere along the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus, but it is most commonly found in the last part of the small intestine and the first part of the large intestine. Symptoms include:
- Cramps
- Constipation
- Urgent need for bowel movement
- Rectal bleeding
- Fever
- Fatigue
Often, the symptoms of Crohn’s disease can be controlled with different types of medication. If this fails, colon resection surgery may be necessary.
Crohn's disease involves inflammation and ulcers that develop along the digestive tract.
Candidates for Surgery
Crohn’s disease sufferers may be recommended surgery when:
- Symptoms can only be controlled with long-term use of corticosteroids
- Symptoms cannot be controlled with medications
- They experience serious side effects from the medication
Our surgeons take care to remove as little tissue as
Procedure
The purpose of a colon resection is to remove the part of the colon where ulcers or inflammation occur. Our surgeons then connect the healthy parts of the colon. This procedure can be performed using open surgery or laparoscopic surgery. Both approaches are performed under general anesthesia. During laparoscopic surgery, your surgeon will make three to six small incisions in the abdominal area through which he will use small instruments to remove inflamed or ulcerated tissue. A device called a laparoscope allows the surgeon to view the treatment area on a video screen.
Depending on the patient’s general health, the location and extent of disease, and the presence of scar tissue in the treatment area, open surgery requiring considerably larger incisions may be a more effective approach. However, our surgeons will recommend laparoscopic surgery whenever possible.
Benefits of Laparoscopic Surgery
Laparoscopic surgery has many benefits over traditional open surgery:
- Reduced blood loss
- Less disruption of tissue
- Less time in the hospital
- Minimized scarring
- Faster recovery time
- Less pain
- Minimized infection risk
Our surgeons have performed minimally invasive surgery hundreds of times over the last 30 years, helping many patients to achieve relief from Crohn's disease and other conditions and to experience a fast, comfortable recovery.
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