Minimally invasive surgery in Crohn's disease

Surgery still represents the most frequent treatment for the management of Crohn's disease complications. The laparoscopic approach has been widely applied over the past twenty years. A longer learning curve has slowed the diffusion of laparoscopic surgical therapy for inflammatory bowel diseases. Today, in selected patients with Crohn's disease, minimally invasive surgery has proved to be as safe and effective as an open approach, leading to reduced postoperative pain and hospital stay, faster return to daily activities, improved cosmetic result, becoming the gold standard of treatment for primary uncomplicated ileocolic disease. The increasing experience of dedicated surgeons explains how the application of laparoscopy has spread to more complicated disease with encouraging results, even if not yet evidence based.