IBD Management: When Crohn’s Requires Surgical Intervention

Crohn’s disease affects an estimated one million Americans, who need ongoing medical care to protect their gastrointestinal health. While surgery won’t be the first step in managing Crohn’s disease, you may be a candidate if other treatments fail to control your symptoms.

Sierra Pacific Surgical specializes in the latest, minimally invasive techniques to treat complications of Crohn’s disease.

Our highly skilled surgical team offers abscess drainage, bowel resection, and other surgical treatments for adults. They use advanced robotic surgery technologies that cause less trauma to the body, so you can recover fast and with less risk of complications.

An overview of Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that triggers swelling and irritation usually in the small and large intestines. However, symptoms can also affect other areas of your digestive tract — from the mouth to the anus.

Symptoms of Crohn’s disease may occur suddenly or develop gradually over time and include:

• Vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Chronic diarrhea
• Rectal bleeding
• Persistent fatigue
• Changes in appetite
• Unintentional weight loss

The intensity of symptoms ranges from mild to debilitating during a Crohn’s flare-up. You can also experience Crohn’s-related symptoms in other areas of your body, such as joint pain, skin rashes, and eye inflammation.

Unmanaged Crohn’s disease can lead to potentially serious complications like abscesses, anal fissures (small anal tears), and fistulas, an abnormal tunnel-shaped opening that connects areas like the skin around the anus and an anal gland.

You might also develop a partial or total bowel obstruction if scar tissue forms in the intestines.

When surgery may be necessary for Crohn’s disease

Abdominal surgery may be needed if oral medications are no longer working to control Crohn’s disease symptoms or prevent gastrointestinal complications.

Sierra Pacific Surgical also offers surgery for adults with Crohn’s disease that develop serious complications like:

• Skin abscess
• Bowel obstructions
• Anal fistulas
• Severe rectal bleeding

Our team also offers surgery to repair anal skin tears (fissures) that bleed or cause chronic pain and interfere with bowel movements.

The benefits of surgery for Crohn’s disease

Surgery won’t cure Crohn’s disease, but it can prevent life-threatening health problems and improve your quality of life. You need to continue taking medications, follow a healthy diet plan to ensure proper nutrition, and monitor the frequency and severity of additional Crohn’s disease flare-ups.

Some of the benefits that surgery can offer people with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease symptoms include:

• Improved appetite
• Relief of gastrointestinal pain
• Less diarrhea and vomiting
• Increased energy levels

Better control of your symptoms also makes it possible to leave home without worrying about physical symptoms or the need for frequent bathroom breaks.

Our surgeons are highly skilled in the latest robot-assisted surgical technologies to repair or remove damaged tissue from your digestive tract with a high level of precision. You can expect to recover in less time and with fewer complications than is possible with traditional open surgery.

Call Sierra Pacific Surgical today to schedule a consultation for Crohn’s disease surgery or book an appointment online.