[The early recurrence of Crohn's disease after "curative" ileocecal resection. A prospective endoscopic and...

The postoperative course of 44 patients (24 women, 20 men; mean age 31.5 [18-63] years) treated by ileocaecal resection for Crohn's disease was investigated prospectively. None of the patients received any prophylactic drug treatment during the 12-month postoperative period of observation. Recurrence of Crohn's disease was endoscopically diagnosed in 21 of the 44 patients during the 12-month period, and in 14 patients recurrence was suspected. Histological confirmation of recurrent Crohn's disease, however, was obtained unequivocally in only 11 patients, while in further 20 patients there was suspicion of recurrence. A large proportion of the recurrences was already confirmed endoscopically and histologically by the end of the third postoperative month. It is concluded that recurrences are frequent and early after a "curative" operation, raising the question of early prophylaxis with drugs.