Surgical treatment of Crohn‘s disease in children in the era of biological treatment

Abstract

Introduction: The incidence of Crohn‘s disease in the paediatric population has been increasing and requires surgical treatment in addition to conservative therapy. While surgical treatment used to be the last step after the failure of all conservative therapies, nowadays it is a standard part of complex treatment. Surgery can enter the treatment process at any stage of the disease and, with a proper indication, timing and preoperative optimization, it can induce immediate remission in patients. On the other hand, with inadequate or improper preoperative preparation and indication, surgical treatment can cause serious or even life-threatening complications. The spectrum of patients undergoing surgery is changing in the era of biological therapy. The aim of this review was to summarize the current knowledge of the impact of biological (anti-TNF alpha) therapy on the development of postoperative complications in children and adolescents operated for Crohn‘s disease. Methods: We present a review based on literature available in MEDLINE-PubMed and Embase databases. Conclusion: According to current knowledge, no association was found between biological treatment in the preoperative period and the development of postoperative complications in paediatric patients. Surgical treatment of paediatric patients with Crohn‘s disease is one of standard treatment modalities.