Patient assessment of the long-term benefits of surgery in inflammatory bowel disease

The objective of surgical treatment in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) differs. Surgery in UC is more aggressive and potentially cura tive whereas in CD it is more conservative and palliative. Objective. To as sess the opinion of patients with inflammatory bowel disease who underwent surgery in the distant past about the results and timing of surgery. Material and methods. A total of 50 surgical patients (36 with CD and 14 wi th UC) who had undergone an intestinal surgical procedure at least one year before. The clinical characteristics of patients and details of surgery pr ocedures were recorded. Also, a personal interview was conducted. Patients were asked about their current clinical status, surgical consequences and t heir opinion about the appropriate timing of surgery. Results. Surgery for UC was total proctocolectomy in 85% of patients and it was on an emergency basis in 43% of them. Surgery for UC was partial intes tinal or colonic resection, and it was on an emergency basis in 22% of them . Postsurgical complications were more common in UC than CD patients (50% v ersus 20%; p<0.05). In CD surgery, recurrence of disease occurred in 78% of patients within a 2.6 years interval. Among UC and CD patients, 71% and 50 %, respectively, reported that their presurgical expectatives had been fulf illed (p = 0.17). Conclusions. Surgery for UC is associated with an appreciable rate of compl ications; however, most patients had their expectatives fulfilled with surg ery as long-term symptoms were controlled. As for CD, the patient's satisfa ction degree was lower than or UC.