Distinct management issues with Crohn's disease of the small intestine

Small bowel Crohn's disease can present with clinical challenges that are specific to its location. In this review, we address some of the areas that present particular problems in small bowel Crohn's disease.

A key issue specific to small bowel Crohn's disease relates to its diagnosis given that access to the small bowel is limited. Radiological advances, particularly in small bowel ultrasonography and MRI, as well as the introduction of capsule endoscopy and balloon enteroscopy are helping to address this. In addition, our ability to differentiate small bowel Crohn's disease from other causes of inflammation, such as tuberculosis, is improving on the basis of better understanding of the features that differentiate these conditions. It is also becoming apparent that jejunal Crohn's disease represents a distinct disease phenotype with potentially worse clinical outcomes. Finally, because it is a rare complication, our understanding of small bowel cancer associated with Crohn's disease remains limited. Recent publications are, however, starting to improve our knowledge of this condition.

Although small bowel Crohn's disease presents specific management issues not seen in patients with Crohn's disease elsewhere in the gastrointestinal tract, our knowledge of how to manage these is improving.