Crohn’s disease causes inflammation of your bowel. The disease most often affects the end part of your small bowel, called the terminal ileum. However, it can affect any part of your bowel.
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Treatment for crohn's disease
Crohn’s Disease – abdominal surgery consultation at The London Clinic
Crohn’s disease causes your bowel wall to thicken, which can block food from passing through.
The affected area of your bowel can also fail to absorb nutrients from your food.
Surgery is usually recommended if medication fails to improve your symptoms.
The operation is performed under a general anaesthetic and usually takes an hour to 90 minutes.
Your surgeon will make a cut on your abdomen and remove the diseased part of your small bowel.
They will often need to also remove a part of your large bowel. Your surgeon will usually join the ends of your bowel back together.
If they are unable to join the ends of your bowel, they will make a colostomy or ileostomy (your bowel opening onto your skin).
FAQs
Inflammation can be treated using medication such as mesalazine, steroids, azathioprine and infliximab. These have side effects and your doctor will discuss them with you.
Sometimes a narrowing of your bowel can be stretched by a procedure that uses a flexible telescope and a balloon dilator.
You should be able to go home after 3 to 10 days.
It may take up to 3 months for you to recover fully. Most people feel much better after the diseased part of their bowel has been removed.
Regular exercise should help you to return to normal activities as soon as possible. Before you start exercising, ask the healthcare team or your GP for advice.
Crohn’s disease sometimes comes back and affects another part of your bowel or a part near to where the join was made.
Your symptoms should improve. Your doctor may also be able to reduce or stop your medication.
- Pain
- Bleeding
- Infection of the surgical site (wound)
- Unsightly scarring of your skin
- Developing a hernia in the scar
- Blood clot in your leg
- Blood clot in your lung
- Chest infection
- Difficulty passing urine
Specific complications of this operation
- Damage to structures such as your bowel, bladder or blood vessels
- Developing a hernia near one of the cuts used to insert the ports
- Surgical emphysema
Surgery for crohn’s disease complications
- Anastomotic leak
- Continued bowel paralysis
- Damage to other structures inside your abdomen
- Injury to your bowel
- Tissues can join together in an abnormal way
- Death. The risk is less the fitter you are
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Where possible, we’ll provide a fixed-price package for your hospital care. This covers your hospital stay, nursing, and use of our facilities, giving you a clear guide to what those costs will be.
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- Hospital stay, nursing care and meals
- Tests, scans and physio during your stay
- Take-home medication (up to 5 days)
- Post-op follow-up appointments
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- Unplanned extended stay or ITU (if clinically required)
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Your consultant’s fees are quoted separately and shared directly by their office after your consultation. These professional fees cover the time, expertise, and care provided by your consultant before, during, and after your treatment. See our full terms and conditions
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