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Endoscopic Therapy of Intestinal Strictures: What Is State of the Art?

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Fibrostenotic Inflammatory Bowel Disease

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Abstract

Symptomatic intestinal strictures develop in more than one third of patients with Crohn’s disease during their lifetime. Strictures can be inflammatory, fibrotic or mixed. Fibrosis occurs as a result of excessive deposition of extracellular matrix protein. It can lead to severe symptoms affecting patients’ quality of life. As a result, patients will often need to undergo surgery to improve their symptoms. Endoscopic balloon dilatation appears to be a safe and effective alternative therapeutic procedure to replace or postpone surgery. It is less invasive and can be performed during a regular colonoscopy. Non-complex strictures that are ≤5 cm can be dilated endoscopically. Up to 80% of patients will have immediate relief of symptoms and it can prevent surgery in up to 70% of patients after a 3-year follow up. Serious complications are rare and occur in less than 3% of procedures.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology, McGill University Health Center, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Talat Bessissow

  2. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Gert Van Assche

Authors
  1. Talat Bessissow
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  2. Gert Van Assche
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gert Van Assche .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Digestive Diseases and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Florian Rieder

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Bessissow, T., Van Assche, G. (2018). Endoscopic Therapy of Intestinal Strictures: What Is State of the Art?. In: Rieder, F. (eds) Fibrostenotic Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90578-5_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90578-5_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-90577-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90578-5

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