ANASTOMOTIC CONFIGURATION DOES NOT AFFECT RECURRENCE OF CROHNS-DISEASE AFTER ILEOCOLONIC RESECTION

The influence of anastomotic configuration on recurrence of symptomati c Crohn's disease has been assessed in a sequential study of patients undergoing resection of ileal Crohn's disease. Between 1972 and 1991 9 2 patients had 102 ileocolonic anastomoses constructed after resection of intestinal Crohn's disease. The configuration of the ileocolonic a nastomosis was either end to side (ES, n = 68) or side to side (SS, n = 34). The majority of patients in both groups were female and both gr oups were similar for duration of Crohn's disease at resection, steroi d therapy, previous number of intestinal resections, indication for su rgery and length of ileum resected at operation. No anastomotic leak o ccurred in either group. A total of 39 patients developed symptomatic recurrent Crohn's disease including 31 (46%) in the ES group and 8 (24 %) in the SS group. This difference was related to the length of follo w-up, the annual rate of symptomatic recurrence was almost identical f or both end to side (0.066) and side to side (0.052) anastomoses.