A nationwide, multi-center, retrospective study of symptomatic small bowel stricture in patients with Crohn's disease

Prediction of endoscopic restenosis after endoscopic balloon dilation in patients with Crohn's disease: a machine learning approach

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) is recognized as a minimally invasive and effective procedure for managing intestinal stenosis in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). It offers an alternative to surgery and has been shown to improve the quality of life for these patients by reducing the need for more aggressive interventions. This study aimed to evaluate factors associated with endoscopic restenosis after EBD and construct a prognostic model.

METHODS

We retrospectively collected and analyzed data on patients receiving EBD treatment at the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from 2013 to 2024. Seven machine learning (ML) algorithms were used to construct prognostic models. Subsequently, we conducted comparative tests on the performance of the models to ensure accuracy and reliability.

RESULTS

A total of 135 patients were included in the statistical analysis. 53% occurred endoscopic restenosis, with an average restenosis time of 183 days. COX and logistic regression analysis showed that 4 features including ever-use glucocorticoids, stenosis position, technical success, and albumin level were associated with restenosis risk. When comparing different ML models, CoxPH and LASSO models performed better on various evaluation metrics, including C-index which was greater than 0.7 in the train and test set. Based on SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP), stenosis position, balloon diameter, and albumin level were identified as the top 3 important features associated with prognosis.

CONCLUSION

The ML-based prognostic model has good predictive performance and can accurately assess the risk of endoscopic restenosis after EBD treatment.

Safety and effectiveness of additional triamcinolone acetonide with endoscopic radial incision and cutting for benign stenosis of the lower gastrointestinal tract: A pilot study

Objectives

Radial incision and cutting (RIC) is being investigated as an alternative endoscopic dilation method for lower intestinal tract stenosis, providing a high technical success rate and improving subjective symptoms. However, several patients develop re-stenosis following RIC. In this pilot study, we aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) addition after RIC.

Methods

RIC with TA was performed in 20 patients with lower gastrointestinal tract stenosis. We evaluated the rate of adverse events 2 months after RIC with TA. We investigated the short- and long-term prognoses, as well as the improvement in subjective symptoms, using a visual analog scale.

Results

The delayed bleeding rate after RIC was 23.8%. Endoscopic hemostasis was achieved in all patients with delayed bleeding. No perforations were observed. The cumulative re-stenosis-free, re-intervention-free, and surgery-free rates 1 year after RIC were 52.9%, 63.7%, and 85.2%, respectively. Subjective symptoms, including abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, and dyschezia, significantly improved after RIC with TA.

Conclusion

Although additional TA administration after RIC could be safe, additional TA may not be effective on luminal patency after dilation. Further investigation is warranted.

ECCO Guidelines on Therapeutics in Crohn's Disease: Surgical Treatment

This article is the second in a series of two publications on the European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation [ECCO] evidence-based consensus on the management of Crohn's disease. The first article covers medical management; the present article addresses surgical management, including preoperative aspects and drug management before surgery. It also provides technical advice for a variety of common clinical situations. Both articles together represent the evidence-based recommendations of the ECCO for Crohn's disease and an update of prior ECCO Guidelines.

Imaging and clinical predictors of surgery in stricturing ileal Crohn's disease: a retrospective study from a large pediatric hospital

PURPOSE

(1) To determine the frequency of surgical management in children with Crohn's Disease (CD) and a new radiologic ileal stricture, and (2) to identify imaging and clinical features that predict the need for surgery.

METHODS

This retrospective study included pediatric patients (< 21 years old) with CD and a new ileal stricture diagnosed by MRE, CTE, or CT between July 2018 and June 2023. Three board-certified radiologists recorded stricture length, maximum mural thickness, minimum lumen diameter, maximum upstream diameter, and simplified magnetic resonance index of activity (sMaRIA) score. Anthropometrics, laboratory data, and surgical interventions performed after stricture diagnosis were also recorded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify imaging and clinical variables associated with the need for surgery.

RESULTS

44 pediatric CD patients (median age 16.5 years) presented with a new ileal stricture during the study period. 30 (68.2%) patients required surgery, with a median time of 87.5 days between stricture diagnosis and surgery. Median stricture measurements were length: 7.0 cm, maximum mural thickness: 7.3 mm, minimum lumen diameter: 0.2 cm, and maximum upstream diameter: 3.3 cm. Median sMaRIA score was 3.0, and 14 (31.8%) strictures had associated internal penetrating disease. Stricture ratio (ratio of maximum upstream lumen diameter to minimum lumen diameter) (OR = 1.15 [95% CI 1.02-1.30]; p = 0.02) and sMaRIA (OR = 2.12 [95% CI 0.87-5.17; p = 0.10) were associated with need for surgery.

CONCLUSION

Surgery remains common in stricturing pediatric CD, with increasing stricture ratio and sMaRIA score associated with need for surgical management.

Endoscopic Management of Strictures in Crohn's Disease: An Unsolved Case

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with a significant burden in terms of quality of life and health care costs. It is frequently associated with several complications, including the development of intestinal strictures. Stricturing CD requires a careful multidisciplinary approach involving medical therapy and surgery, still posing a continuous management challenge; in this context, endoscopic treatment represents a valuable, in-between opportunity as a minimally invasive strategy endorsed by extensive yet heterogeneous evidence and evolving research and techniques. This review summarizes current knowledge on the role of therapeutic endoscopy in stricturing CD, focusing on evidence gaps, recent updates, and novel techniques intended for optimizing efficacy, safety, and tailoring of this approach in the view of precision endoscopy.

Ultrasound Characteristics Can Predict Response to Biologics Therapy in Stricturing Crohn's Disease

INTRODUCTION

Stricture is a common complication in Crohn's disease (CD). Accurate identification of strictures that poorly respond to biologic therapy is essential for making optimal therapeutic decisions. The aim of this study was to determine the association between ultrasound characteristics of strictures and their therapeutic outcomes.

METHODS

Consecutive CD patients with symptomatic strictures scheduled for biologic therapy were retrospectively recruited at a tertiary hospital. Baseline intestinal ultrasound was conducted to assess stricture characteristics, including bowel wall thickness, length, stratification, vascularity, and creeping fat wrapping angle. Patients were followed up for a minimum of 1 year, during which long-term outcomes including surgery, steroid-free clinical remission, and mucosal healing were recorded. Statistical analyses were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 43 patients were enrolled. Strictures were located in the ileocecal region (39.5%), colon (37.2%), anastomosis (20.9%), and small intestine (2.3%). The median follow-up time was 17 months (interquartile range 7-25), with 27 patients (62.8%) undergoing surgery. On multivariant analysis, creeping fat wrapping angle > 180° (odds ratio: 6.2, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1-41.1) and a high Limberg score (odds ratio: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.4-6.0) were independent predictors of surgery, with an area under the curve of 0.771 (95% CI: 0.602-0.940), accuracy of 83.7%, sensitivity of 96.3%, and specificity of 62.5%. On Cox survival analysis, creeping fat >180° was significantly associated with surgery (hazard ratio, 5.2; 95% CI: 1.2-21.8; P = 0.03). In addition, creeping fat was significantly associated with steroid-free clinical remission ( P = 0.015) and mucosal healing ( P = 0.06).

DISCUSSION

Intestinal ultrasound characteristics can predict outcomes in patients with stricturing CD who undertook biologic therapy.

Patient-Related Factors Associated With Long-Term Outcomes After Successful Endoscopic Balloon Dilation For Crohn's Disease-Associated Ileo-Colic Strictures: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background

Successful Crohn's disease (CD) therapy relies on timely and precise management strategies. Endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) has been applied as a first-line treatment for symptomatic CD-associated strictures due to its minimally invasive nature and the possibility of preserving intestinal length.

Objective

The aim of the present study was to determine patient-related predictive factors associated with the need for surgery for CD-associated ileocolic strictures after technically successful EBD.

Methods

All original studies published before December 2023 that reported the outcomes of patients treated with EBD for ileocolic strictures secondary to CD and described follow-up for at least 1 year were included. The difference in risk of needing surgery was calculated for 8 different patient characteristics (Sex, smoking habit, previous surgery, biologic therapy, steroids, immunosuppressors, nature of the stricture, and endoscopic disease activity).

Results

There were significant differences in the risk of needing surgery after EBD among patients who underwent surgery and patients without a history of surgery (RD: -0.20 [-0.31, -0.08]), patients with endoscopic mucosal activity and patients in remission at the time of EBD (RD: 0.19 [0.04, 0.34]), patients using biologics at the time of EBD and patients not using biologics (RD: -0.09 [-0.16, -0.03]), and patients using steroids and those not using steroids at the time of EBD (RD: 0.16 [0.07, 0.26]).

Conclusions

The use of biologics and endoscopic disease remission at the time of EBD were protective factors against the need for surgery. No previous surgery or use of steroids at the time of EBD was associated with the need for surgery during follow-up.

Treatment escalation and de-escalation decisions in Crohn's disease: Delphi consensus recommendations from Japan, 2021

BACKGROUND

We aimed to develop criteria for treatment intensification in patients with (1) luminal Crohn's disease (CD), (2) CD with perianal disease and/or fistula, (3) CD with small bowel stenosis, (4) in the postoperative setting, and (5) for discontinuing or reducing the dose of treatment in patients with CD.

METHODS

PubMed and Embase were searched for studies published since 1998 which may be relevant to the five defined topics. Results were assessed for relevant studies, with preference given to data from randomized, controlled studies. For each question, a core panel of 12 gastroenterologists defined the treatment target and developed statements, based on the literature, current guidelines, and relevant additional studies. The evidence supporting each statement was graded using the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine: Levels of Evidence (March 2009). A modified Delphi process was used to refine statements and gain agreement from 54 Japanese specialists at in-person and online meetings conducted between October 2020 and April 2021.

RESULTS

Seventeen statements were developed for treatment intensification in luminal CD (targeting endoscopic remission), six statements for treatment intensification in perianal/fistulizing CD (targeting healing of perianal lesions and complete closure of the fistula), six statements for treatment intensification in CD with small bowel stenosis (targeting resolution of obstructive symptoms), seven statements for treatment intensification after surgery (targeting endoscopic remission), and five statements for discontinuing or reducing the dose of treatment in patients with CD.

CONCLUSIONS

These statements provide guidance on how and when to intensify or de-intensify treatment for a broad spectrum of patients with CD.

Guidelines for endoscopic balloon dilation in treating Crohn's disease-associated small intestinal strictures (supplement to the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Enteroscopy)

Balloon-assisted enteroscopy allows endoscopic treatments in the deeper segments of the small bowel. Endoscopic balloon dilation has become a popular minimally invasive alternative for the treatment of Crohn's disease-associated small intestinal strictures. As a supplement to the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Enteroscopy, the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society's Working Committee has developed the present "Guidelines for endoscopic balloon dilation in treating Crohn's disease-associated small intestinal strictures," based on new scientific techniques and evidence. The guidelines cover standard procedures for the insertion route of the balloon endoscope, bowel preparation, indications, procedure-related complications, efficacy, target diameter and duration, management of multiple strictures, and the current state of combined and alternative treatments. Unresolved future research questions are also listed in this guideline.

Mucosal healing of small intestinal stricture is associated with improved prognosis post-dilation in Crohn's disease

BACKGROUND

Small intestinal stricture is a major cause for surgery in Crohn's disease (CD). Endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) is performed for small intestinal strictures to avoid surgery, often repeatedly. However, factors that are associated with prognosis after EBD of small intestinal strictures remain poorly investigated. Mucosal healing is the therapeutic target in CD. We aimed to investigate the impact of mucosal healing defined by the presence of ulcers at the small intestinal stricture site on the prognosis of EBD in CD patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively included patients with CD who underwent initial EBD for endoscopically impassable small intestinal strictures from January 2012 to March 2020 at a single center. The association between presence of ulcer at the stricture site and surgery after EBD was examined by Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

Of the 98 patients included, 63 (64.3%) had ulcer at the stricture site. 20 (31.7%) of these patients underwent surgery for the stricture in due course, whereas 4 (11.4%) of the patients without ulcer of the stricture underwent surgery. In multivariate analysis, patients with ulcer of the stricture had a significantly higher risk for surgery than those without ulcer (hazard ratio 4.84; 95% confidence interval 1.58-14.79).

CONCLUSION

Mucosal healing at the stricture site indicated a favorable prognosis after EBD for small intestinal strictures in CD.

Long-term outcomes of endoscopic balloon dilation for intestinal strictures in patients with Crohn's disease during maintenance treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha antibodies

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Efficacy of endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) for intestinal strictures in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha antibodies (anti-TNF) as maintenance therapy is unclear. We investigated the long-term efficacy and safety of EBD for intestinal strictures in patients with CD receiving anti-TNF.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed data from patients with CD who received anti-TNF as maintenance therapy from 2008 to 2017, underwent EBD, and were followed up for ≥6 months. The primary endpoint was the cumulative surgery-free rate. The main secondary endpoints were technical success, repeat EBD rate, risk factors affecting surgical outcomes, and safety.

RESULTS

Seventy-two patients with CD were assessed. The median observation period after EBD was 50 months. The technical success rate was 67%. The 3- and 5-year cumulative surgery-free rates were 81.1% and 73.5%, respectively. The repeat EBD rate was 74%. Multivariable analyses showed that risk factors affecting surgical outcomes were age at disease onset ≤16 years (hazard ratio 3.69; 95% confidence interval 1.36-10.01; P = 0.011). Serious complications requiring surgery developed in three patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic balloon dilation was an effective and safe short-term treatment and a useful long-term treatment for CD patients with intestinal strictures receiving anti-TNF as maintenance therapy.

Predictors of necessity for endoscopic balloon dilatation in patients with Crohn's disease-related small bowel stenosis

BACKGROUND AND AIM

In patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and small bowel stenosis, endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) is considered to be useful in improving stenotic symptoms and avoiding surgery. However, it carries risks such as bleeding and perforation. The aim of this study was to identify the indications for endoscopic intervention in patients with CD and small bowel stenosis.

METHODS

From November 2007 to March 2020, 143 CD patients with small bowel stenosis were enrolled in this study. We identified the factors associated with not requiring endoscopic intervention during long-term follow-up of these patients.

RESULTS

Forty of the 143 patients had abdominal symptoms of stenosis and had undergone EBD, whereas the remaining 103 were asymptomatic and had not undergone endoscopic intervention. During long-term follow-up, 95 of those 103 patients never required endoscopic or surgical intervention. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that not consuming an elemental diet (OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.48-6.82; p < .01) and ileocecal valve (ICV) stenosis (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.11-0.83; p = .02) were independently associated with not requiring EBD. The cumulative emergency hospitalisation-free rate also tended to be higher in patients not consuming an elemental diet or with ICV stenosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Two factors, namely not consuming an elemental diet and ICV stenosis, predict a long-term intervention-free prognosis in CD patients with small bowel stenosis.Key messagesWhen an endoscopically impassable small bowel stenosis is found in a CD patient, long-term follow-up without endoscopic intervention may be possible if the patient is asymptomatic, is not using an elemental diet, and the stenosis is ICV.

The role of small-bowel endoscopy in inflammatory bowel disease: an updated review on the state-of-the-art in 2021

The impact of small-bowel (SB) capsule endoscopy and device-assisted enteroscopy on clinical practice, since their introduction 2 decades ago, has been remarkable. These disruptive technologies have transformed the investigation and management of SB pathology and now have a firmly established place in guidelines and clinical algorithms. Furthermore, recent years have witnessed innovations, driven by the demand of new goals in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as mucosal healing and evolving strategies based on tight monitoring and accelerated escalation of care. These developments in SB endoscopy have also been paralleled by refinement in dedicated radiological SB imaging technologies. This updated review highlights the current state of the art and more recent innovations with a focus on their role in IBD.

Intestinal stricture in Crohn's disease: A 2020 update

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic and relapsing-remitting inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. Approximately 70% of patients inevitably develop fibrosis-associated intestinal stricture after 10 years of CD diagnosis, which seriously affects their quality of life. Current therapies play limited role in preventing or reversing the process of fibrosis and no specific anti-fibrotic therapy is yet available. Nearly half of patients thus have no alternative but to receive surgery. The potential mechanisms of intestinal fibrosis remain poorly understood; extracellular matrix remodeling, aberrant immune response, intestinal microbiome imbalance and creeping fat might exert fundamental influences on the multiple physiological and pathophysiological processes. Recently, the emerging new diagnostic techniques have markedly promoted an accurate assessment of intestinal stricture by distinguishing fibrosis from inflammation, which is crucial for guiding treatment and predicting prognosis. In this review, we concisely summarized the key studies published in the year 2020 covering pathogenesis, diagnostic modalities, and therapeutic strategy of intestinal stricture. A comprehensive and timely review of the updated researches in intestinal stricture could provide insight to further elucidate its pathogenesis and identify novel drug targets with anti-fibrotic potentiality.

The Efficacy of Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha for Symptomatic Stricturing Small Bowel Crohn's Disease

Introduction

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Current treatment aims to prevent complications and the need for surgical intervention. In patients with symptomatic complications, such as strictures, the possible benefits of anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF-α) therapy are currently the subject of considerable debate. This study aims to determine whether anti-TNF-α therapy could decrease the need for or delay the time until surgery in patients with CD presenting with symptomatic strictures of the small bowel in the King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Saudi Arabia.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, single-center study that assessed the need for surgical treatment in adult patients with symptomatic stricturing CD who were treated conventionally or with TNF-α inhibitors. Simple logistic regression was used to examine the association between surgical resection and biologics therapy and stepwise elimination logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of surgical resection.

Results

In total, 75 patients fulfilled the study criteria with 50 in the anti-TNF-α arm and 25 in the conventional arm. Surgical resection was required for six patients (12.2%) in the anti-TNF-α treatment arm and one patient (4%) in the conventional treatment arm (P=0.26). Endoscopic balloon dilatation was performed in two patients (4%) in the anti-TNF-α arm and one patient (4%) in the conventional arm (P=0.69). No statistically significant association was observed between surgical resection and treatment with biologic therapy (odds ratio [OR]=0.50, 95% CI: 0.16-1.53, P=0.22). Stepwise elimination identified age (OR=4.54, 95% CI: 0.79-25.11, P=0.09) and disease duration (OR=1.01, 95% CI: 1.00-1.02, P=0.004) as significant predictors of surgery.

Conclusions

In this cohort, anti-TNF-α therapy did not provide additional benefits with regards to avoiding or delaying surgery in CD patients with stricturing of the small bowel.

Endoscopic management of stricturing Crohn's disease

The natural history of Crohn's disease (CD) usually begins with primary intestinal inflammation, which progresses gradually to stricturing lesions. Stricture is a complicated, intractable but very common clinical problem in the management of CD. Difficulties remain in treating stricturing CD because of the limited efficacy of drug therapy and relapse of stricturing lesions cannot be completely avoided by surgery. Endoscopic management is a bridging therapy between drug therapy and surgical intervention, mainly including endoscopic balloon dilatation and endoscopic stricturotomy, and has been found to be effective for treating stricturing CD. Its explicit curative effect, less invasiveness and high safety performance make endoscopic management more acceptable by both the physician and patient. Although some patients require repeated endoscopic treatment and ultimately cannot avoid surgery, yet it can significantly delay the time to surgery and improve the quality of life. Physicians carrying out the endoscopic procedure need to be trained for performing this procedure. In this review we summarized the diagnosis and endoscopic treatment of stricturing CD.