Is Surgery an Option for Crohn's? San Anselmo CA
Is Surgery an Option for Crohn's?
Surgery is one step in the treatment program for patients who have Crohn’s disease. In fact, approximately 70 percent of Crohn’s patients will eventually need surgery. Surgery often initiates remission, providing relief from symptoms, and improves quality of life.
What to Expect
If your symptoms persist and you no longer respond to medication (or you have a complication, such as a blockage, perforation, abscess or bleeding in your intestine), your physician may recommend surgery.
There are several common surgical procedures for Crohn’s disease. Your surgeon may opt to remove only the damaged portion of your intestine. Once the diseased part of the colon is removed, he or she will reconnect the ends. This is called resectional surgery. Another common surgical procedure is strictureplasty. With strictureplasty, your surgeon widens a segment of the intestine that has narrowed due to disease. Strictureplasty has gained support as an alternative to resectional surgery for some patients, although sometimes the two procedures are used together.
If you have significant colon damage, you may need a colectomy to remove the entire colon. Then your surgeon will make a small opening in your abdomen that will allow waste to pass out of your body. This opening is called a stoma. Colectomy patients wear a pouch under their clothes to collect waste, which they empty as needed. Although a colectomy may sound daunting, most patients go on to live normal lives after surgery...
