Crohn's disease of the foregut

Historically, Crohn's disease of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum has be en reported only rarely With more frequent use of upper endoscopy, however, upper gastrointestinal involvement has been found to be more common than p reviously suspected. The surgeon with an interest in Crohn's disease needs to be familiar with all areas that are potentially affected in this perplex ing and sometimes devastating disease. This article examines the literature on foregut Crohn's and discusses the incidence, clinical manifestations, d iagnosis, medical management surgical indications, and operative techniques .