Ileoscopy via stoma after diverting ileostomy: a safe and effective tool to evaluate for Crohn's recurrence of neoterminal ileum

Definitions, diagnosis, and management of postoperative recurrence in Crohn's disease patients with permanent ileostomy-a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Over 10% of patients with Crohn's disease require permanent ileostomy. We aimed to summarize the existing data on diagnosis, definitions of recurrence, and management of Crohn's disease patients with permanent ileostomy.

METHODS

MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL databases were searched from inception to February 6, 2024. Randomized controlled trials, cohort and cross-sectional studies, and case series of more than 5 patients reporting on postoperative recurrence or the need for surgery in patients with Crohn's disease and permanent ileostomy were included. Search results were independently screened, and full text of all titles meeting eligibility criteria was obtained. Outcomes of interest included diagnostic techniques, recurrence definitions, and management approaches. We estimated pooled rates (with 95% confidence interval [CI]) of recurrence.

RESULTS

Thirty cohort studies including 2055 Crohn's patients with permanent ileostomy were included (53% female, median age at the time of ileostomy creation 32 years, the most common reason for ileostomy was refractory disease). The postoperative recurrence rate was 27% (95% CI, 21.3-33.3, 26 studies, 451/1805 patients). Modalities for diagnosis of Crohn's disease recurrence were symptoms (15 studies), endoscopy (4 studies), histology from endoscopic biopsies (2 studies), imaging (5 studies), and surgery (22 studies). The reported definitions of recurrence for each modality were heterogeneous.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a lack of standardized monitoring tools and criteria for diagnosing recurrence in patients with Crohn's disease and permanent ileostomy. The results of this systematic review will form the basis of a global expert recommendation exercise focused on developing management standards and trial endpoints for this condition.

Biologic use is not associated with postoperative complications in patients with Crohn's disease undergoing stoma reversion

PURPOSE

Stoma creation is a common procedure in patients with Crohn's disease (CD), and early prophylaxis with biologics is recommended for high-risk patients. However, the effect of biologic exposure on morbidity after stoma closure remains unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of biologic use on the occurrence of complications in CD patients following stoma closure.

METHODS

Consecutive patients diagnosed with CD who underwent ileostomy reversal at a tertiary care centre between 1 January 2013 and 1 December 2021, were included in the study. The primary outcome was the occurrence of 90-day postoperative complications.

RESULTS

The study included 347 eligible patients who underwent ileostomy reversal. There was no significant difference in terms of infectious complications, overall complications or length of postoperative stay between the biologic and non-biologic groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified several predictors of postoperative morbidity, including preoperative haemoglobin levels below 100 g/L, CRP levels above 10 mg/L, anastomotic site, ileostomy-related infectious complications and albumin levels below 35 g/L.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that the use of biologics is not associated with adverse outcomes. However, such as high CRP levels, ileostomy-related infectious complications, hypoproteinemia, and hemoglobinemia, should be optimized prior to surgery to reduce postoperative morbidities.

Endoscopic Treatment of Postoperative Bleeding, Bezoars, and Foreign Bodies

Altered gastrointestinal anatomy is common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, particularly in those who underwent bowel surgery. Commonly performed surgeries are bowel resection and anastomosis and strictureplasty for Crohn's disease; and restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for ulcerative colitis. The area of anastomosis and suture line is at the greatest risk for the development of postoperative bleeding. Altered bowel anatomy, especially the presence of strictures, strictureplasty, or structural or functional pouch outlet obstruction, puts these patients at risk for bezoar formation and foreign body retention, including video endoscopy capsule. This article will focus on postoperative bleeding, bezoar formation, and video capsule retention in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Endoscopic management of these conditions is useful and is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to surgery.

Endoscopy in the Surgically Altered Bowel

Improved utilization of surgical interventions to improve patient outcomes has led to an increased need to endoscopically evaluate and treat the bowel after surgery. The best outcomes are attained when the endoscopist coordinates with the surgeon, and in some cases the pathologist or radiologist to plan the procedure. Understanding the anatomy and pathology anticipated can allow planning for sedation, bowel cleanse and equipment needed. Surgically altered anatomy can create challenges that with planning can be overcome. This article will review how to prepare and navigate several of the most commonly encountered surgical interventions.

Management of Crohn's Disease and Complications in Patients With Ostomies

Fecal diversion with ostomy construction can be a temporary or definitive surgical measure for the treatment of refractory inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the fecal diversion surgery is associated with various stoma, peristomal complications, and recurrence or occurrence of de novo small bowel Crohn's disease (CD). Stoma complications often need enterostomal therapy or surgical revision. Peristomal cutaneous lesions, such as pyoderma gangrenosum, usually require immunomodulator or biological therapy. Routine monitoring for occurrence or recurrence of CD with endoscopy or imaging should be performed, and prophylaxis with mesalamines, antibiotics, immunomodulators, or anti-TNFα or anti-integrin agents is needed for patients at risk. Those agents, along with corticosteroids, may also be used for the treatment of CD of the neo-small intestine, particularly inflammatory and fistulizing phenotypes. Endoscopic balloon dilation or endoscopic stricturotomy via stoma is safe and feasible to treat short (<4-5 cm), straight strictures in the neo-small intestine. Medically or endoscopically refractory fibrostenotic disease usually requires surgical intervention, with bowel-sparing stricturoplasty being the surgical treatment of choice.

Perioperative use of immunosuppressive medications in patients with Crohn's disease in the new "biological era"

Crohn’s disease (CD) is characterized by transmural inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract leading to inflammatory, stricturing and/or and fistulizing disease. Once a patient develops medically refractory disease, mechanical obstruction, fistulizing disease or perforation, surgery is indicated. Unfortunately, surgery is not curative in most cases, underscoring the importance of bowel preservation and adequate perioperative medical management. As many of the medications used to treat CD are immunosuppressive, the concern for postoperative infectious complications and anastomotic healing are particularly concerning; these concerns have to be balanced with preventing and treating residual or recurrent disease. We herein review the available literature and make recommendations regarding the preoperative, perioperative and postoperative administration of immunosuppressive medications in the current era of biological therapy for CD. Standardized algorithms for perioperative medical management would greatly assist future research for optimizing surgical outcomes and preventing disease recurrence in the future.

Correlation of the Rutgeerts score and recurrence of Crohn's disease in patients with end ileostomy

Background

Recurrence of Crohn’s disease (CD) can occur after surgery, including end ileostomy (EI). The Rutgeerts score (RS) was developed to predict postsurgical CD recurrence via ileocolonoscopy in patients having ileocolonic resection. The role of ileoscopic evaluation via stoma for assessing recurrence of CD has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of ileoscopy for predicting disease recurrence in CD patients after EI with the use of RS.

Methods

A total of 73 eligible CD patients with at least two ileoscopies in our institution following EI were included. Mucosal inflammation of the neo-terminal ileum was graded based on the RS. The primary outcomes were the need for endoscopic stricture dilation and subsequent surgery due to recurrence of disease. The secondary outcomes were CD-related hospitalization and the need to escalate CD-associated medications.

Results

The median duration of CD until EI was 9 years (interquartile range: 4-13 years), and the median duration from EI to the first ileoscopy was 28 months (interquartile range: 11-93 months). The RSs in the neo-terminal ileum close to EI were calculated, and subjects were divided into two groups: the normal RS group with the score being zero (n = 25) and the abnormal RS group with the RS score being ≥1 (n = 48). Patients in the abnormal RS group were more likely to have recurrence of CD (92% vs 27%) and need endoscopic dilation of stricture (40% vs 10%), subsequent bowel surgery (68% vs 15%), disease-related hospitalizations (80% vs 23%) and escalation of CD medications (64% vs 25%) than those in the normal RS group. Time-to-event analysis showed that patients in the abnormal RS group were at a higher risk of endoscopic dilation (odds ratio (OR) = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.09–1.9), need of second bowel surgery (OR = 1.5; 95%CI: 1.2–1.8) and disease-related hospitalizations (OR = 1.3; 95%CI: 1.1–1.6) after adjusting for factors such as duration from surgery to sensor, duration of disease and the patient’s sex (all P < 0.001). Further multivariable analysis showed that patients in the abnormal RS group were more likely to need escalation of CD-related medications after adjusting for duration from surgery and age (OR = 5.3; 95% CI: 1.7–16.5; P = 0.004).

Conclusion

RS can be used to predict the recurrence of CD in patients with EI. A high RS score based on ileoscopy appeared to be associated with poor outcomes. This may be considered a useful decision-making tool for monitoring disease after ileostomy surgery.

Intestinal Perforation Following Ileoscopy Through a Prolapsed Stoma in an Pediatric Intestinal Transplant Recipient With an Unrecognized Parastomal Hernia

Ileoscopy with mucosal biopsy is fundamental in the management and surveillance of inflammatory bowel disease patients and intestinal transplant recipients. There is a paucity of data describing the risks of ileoscopy in the presence of a prolapsed stoma. Parastomal hernias are frequently associated with prolapsed stomas. We report the first case of perforation during ileoscopy in the setting of a prolapsed stoma and unrecognized parastomal hernia. Recognition of parastomal hernia associated with stoma prolapse is of paramount importance in patients undergoing ileoscopy as it may increase the risk of perforation.

Endoscopic evaluation of surgically altered bowel in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases often undergo surgical procedures for medically refractory disease or colitis associated dysplasia. Endoscopic evaluation of the surgically altered bowel is often needed to assess for disease recurrence, its severity, and for therapy. It is important to obtain and review the operative report and abdominal imaging before performing the endoscopy. Diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy can be safely performed in most patients with inflammatory bowel disease with altered bowel anatomy under conscious sedation without fluoroscopy. Carefully planned stricture therapy with balloon dilation or needle knife stricturotomy can be performed for simple, short, and fibrotic strictures. A multidisciplinary approach involving a team of endoscopist, endoscopy nurse, colorectal surgeon, gastrointestinal pathologist, and gastrointestinal radiologist is important for a safe and effective endoscopy. We attempt to review the aspects that need consideration before the endoscopy, the technique of endoscopy, and briefly the therapies that can be performed during endoscopy of the bowel through an ileostomy, a colostomy, in the diverted large bowel or ileal pouch, and small bowel after stricturoplasty and bowel bypass surgery in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.