Evaluation for postoperative recurrence of Crohn disease

Disease recurrence following resective surgery for Crohn disease remains a challenging clinical problem, and more studies are needed to better define risk stratification and treatment recommendations in the postoperative setting. Endoscopy remains the gold standard for the assessment of postoperative disease recurrence, and all Crohn disease patients who undergo surgery should undergo ileocolonoscopy within 6 to 12 months of surgery. The degree of endoscopic recurrence in the neoterminal ileum during this procedure provides prognostic information regarding the severity of the future disease course. WCE, MRE, and SICUS are all promising noninvasive modalities to assess for postoperative Crohn disease activity. However, further studies are needed to better define scoring systems, operating characteristics and variability, and prognostic data for each of these modalities. In patients at risk for early disease recurrence, more aggressive prophylactic therapy should be considered, in hopes of delivering true “top-down” therapy that may offer maximum impact in altering the natural history of Crohn disease.