Nonsurgical strictureplasty for intestinal strictures in Crohn's disease: preliminary report of two cases

Stricturing Crohn's disease: what is the role of endoscopic stenting? A systematic review

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Endoscopic stenting for stricturing Crohn's disease (CD) is an emerging treatment that achieves more persistent dilatation of the stricture over time than endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD). We aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of stenting for the treatment of CD strictures.

METHODS

A systematic electronic literature search was performed (PROSPERO; no. CRD42022308033). The primary outcomes were technical success, efficacy, complication rate, and the need for further interventions due to reobstruction. The outcomes of partially covered self-expanding metal stents (PCSEMS) with scheduled retrieval after seven days were also analyzed.

RESULTS

Eleven eligible studies were included in the review. Overall, 173 patients with CD were included in this study. Mean percentage of technical success was 95% (range, 80%-100%), short-term efficacy was 100% in all studies, and long-term efficacy was 56% (range, 25%-90%). In patients with a scheduled PCSEMS retrieval, the long-term efficacy was 76% (range, 59%-90%), the mean complication rate was 35% (range, 15%-57%), and the major complication rate was 11% (range, 0%-29%).

CONCLUSION

Endoscopic stenting with scheduled PCSEMS retrieval may be considered a feasible second-line treatment for short CD strictures to postpone surgery. However, larger head-to-head prospective studies are needed to understand the role of stenting as an alternative or additional treatment to EBD in CD.

Endoscopic Stenting in Crohn's Disease-related Strictures: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Outcomes

BACKGROUND

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic progressive condition that is complicated by intestinal or colonic stricture in nearly 30% of cases within 10 years of the initial diagnosis. Endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) is associated with a risk of perforations and recurrence rates of up to 60% at 5 years. Endoscopic stenting has been used as an alternative to EBD, but data on its safety and efficacy are limited. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the outcomes of endoscopic stenting in CD-related strictures.

METHODS

A systematic and detailed search was run in January 2022 with the assistance of a medical librarian for studies reporting on outcomes of endoscopic stenting in CD-related strictures. Meta-analysis was performed using random-effects model, and results were expressed in terms of pooled proportions along with relevant 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

RESULTS

Nine studies with 163 patients were included in the final analysis. Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) including both partial and fully covered were used in 7 studies, whereas biodegradable stents were used in 2 studies. Pooled rate of clinical success and technical success was 60.9% (95% CI, 51.6-69.5; I2 = 13%) and 93% (95% CI, 87.3-96.3; I2 = 0%), respectively. Repeat stenting was needed in 9.6% of patients (95% CI, 5.3-16.7; I2 = 0%), whereas pooled rate of spontaneous stent migration was 43.9% (95% CI, 11.4-82.7; I2 = 88%). Pooled incidence of overall adverse events, proximal stent migration, perforation, and abdominal pain were 15.7%, 6.4%, 2.7%, and 17.9%, respectively. Mean follow-up period ranged from 3 months to 69 months.

DISCUSSION

Endoscopic stenting in CD-related strictures is a safe technique that can be performed with technical ease, albeit with a limited clinical success. Postprocedure abdominal pain and proximal stent migration are some of the common adverse events reported.

Strictures in Crohn's Disease: From Pathophysiology to Treatment

Despite recent advances aimed to treat transmural inflammation in Crohn's disease (CD) patients, the progression to a structuring behavior still represents an issue for clinicians. As inflammation becomes chronic and severe, the attempt to repair damaged tissue can result in an excessive production of extracellular matrix components and deposition of connective tissue, thus favoring the formation of strictures. No specific and accurate clinical predictors or diagnostic tools for intestinal fibrosis exist, and to date, no genetic or serological marker is in routine clinical use. Therefore, intestinal fibrosis is usually diagnosed when it becomes clinically evident and strictures have already occurred. Anti-fibrotic agents such as tranilast, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists, rho kinase inhibitors, and especially mesenchymal stem cell therapy have provided interesting results, but most of the evidence has been derived from studies performed in vitro. Therefore, current therapy of fibrotic strictures relies mainly on endoscopic and surgical procedures. Although its long-term outcomes may be debated, endoscopic balloon dilation appears to be the safest and most effective approach to treat appropriately selected strictures. The use of endoscopic stricturotomy is currently limited by the expertise needed to perform it and by the few data available in the literature. Some good results have been achieved by the positioning of self-expandable metal stents (SEMS). However, there is no concordance regarding the type of stent to use and for how long it should be left in place. The development of new specific SEMS may lead to better outcomes and to an increased use of this alternative in CD-related strictures.

Crohn's Disease of the Esophagus, Duodenum, and Stomach

Upper gastrointestinal Crohn's is an under-reported, under-recognized phenotype of Crohn's disease. Routine screening in the pediatric population has shown a higher prevalence compared with adults; however, most adult patients remain asymptomatic with respect to upper gastrointestinal Crohn's disease. For the patients who are symptomatic, medical treatment is the first line of management, except for cases of obstruction, perforation, or bleeding. Though most patients respond to medical therapy, mainly steroids, with the addition of immunomodulators and more recently biologics agents, surgical intervention is usually required only for obstructing gastroduodenal disease secondary to strictures. Strictureplasty and bypass are safe operations with comparable morbidity, although bypass has higher rates of dumping syndrome and marginal ulceration in the long term. Rare cases of gastroduodenal fistulous disease from active distal disease may involve the stomach or duodenum, and esophageal Crohn's disease can fistulize to surrounding structures in the mediastinum which may require the highly morbid esophagectomy.

Safety and efficacy of extractible self-expandable metal stents in the treatment of Crohn's disease intestinal strictures: a prospective pilot study

BACKGROUND

Endoscopic management of Crohn's disease (CD) intestinal strictures with balloon dilation is effective; however, recurrences are frequent and require further dilations or surgery. The use of extractible metallic stents may be as effective as balloon dilation with fewer recurrences. The aim was to investigate in a prospective pilot study the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of the use of extractible stents in the treatment of CD intestinal strictures.

METHODS

In two tertiary referral centers, quiescent CD patients except for obstructive symptoms associated with intestinal stenosis of less than 50 mm length on enterography were eligible for transitory stent placement, initially planned to be retrieved after 8 weeks, which was secondarily reduced to 4 weeks after patient 3.

RESULTS

Eleven patients (six males, five females, median age 34 years [range 18-66]) were prospectively included. The sites of intestinal stenosis were an ileocolonic anastomosis, an ileosigmoidic anastomosis, and the surgically untreated terminal ileum in eight, one, and two patients, respectively. Stent placement was technically successful in 10 patients. Obstructive symptoms were relieved in 6 out of 10 patients. Two patients needed surgery related to the procedure. Six downstream migrations were observed. Only one patient could have the stent extracted as scheduled on day 28 and remains symptom-free after 73 months of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Even if stenting appears an effective technique in treating symptomatic CD intestinal strictures, the procedure is associated with a prohibitively high rate of spontaneous migrations and complications.

Endoscopic assessment of inflammatory bowel disease: colonoscopy/esophagogastroduodenoscopy

Endoscopy plays an important role in the initial diagnosis of IBD, including the evaluation of disease severity, activity, and extent. The implications of complete mucosal healing further confirm the function of endoscopy in the follow-up of IBD patients. The use of therapeutic endoscopy, for example stricture dilatation, can avoid the need for bowel resection. Modalities such as capsule endoscopy, EUS, NBI, CE, and other emerging techniques are likely to have an increasing role in the management of IBD, particularly in the area of dysplasia surveillance and treatment.

[Endoscopic management of luminal stenosis in inflammatory bowel disease]

Luminal stenosis is frequent in Crohn's disease (CD) due to transmural involvement. Before any endoscopic treatment, the presence of neoplastic stenosis should always be excluded. Endoscopic balloon dilatation has been used in several series to treat benign stenosis, mainly in CD with involvement of the distal ileon, colon or surgical anastomosis, with success rates of 51% to 85%, although recurrence is high. The concomitant use of injected steroids (triamcinolone) after endoscopic dilatation produces longer-lasting results, but there are few published reports. In patients with luminal stenosis refractory to conventional endoscopy, three emerging techniques may be useful: self-expanding metallic stents, biodegradable endoprostheses and intralesional infliximab injection.

[Management of ileal stenosis in patients with Crohn's disease]

Stenosis is the most frequent complication during Crohn's disease. The lesion can be inflammatory, or due to a fibrosing or neoplastic process. The medical treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs is usually sufficient as first line treatment; fibrous lesions require endoscopic or surgical procedures while neoplastic lesions require surgery. A multidisciplinary approach (radiologic, medical, surgical and endoscopic) is needed. In a first part, we discuss the definition of stenosis and the modalities of imaging (particularly MRI) and of treatment (particularly with TNFalpha antagonists). Then we expose the strategy for the management of the most frequent clinical situations: occlusion, ileal inflammatory stenosis, stenosis of an ileocolonic anastomosis and chronic fibrous stenosis. The treatment decision takes into account the results of radiological assessment, CRP level and the effects of the previous treatments.

Repeated coaxial colonic stenting in the palliative management of benign colonic obstruction

In inflammatory bowel disease, strictures of the colon, causing bowel obstruction, is not uncommon. Usually an operative procedure can deal with these strictures. We describe a case of an unfit patient with pulmonary malignancy having a Crohn's stricture of the recto-sigmoid junction in which repeated coaxial placement of self-expanding metallic stents eliminated the need to perform an operation. This is the first report of multiple coaxial colonic stenting. It shows that there is a place for stents in selected cases of inflammatory bowel disease with a limited life expectancy and that repeated colonic stenting makes colonic stenting possible also in patients requiring stents for longer time periods.

Efficacy and safety of endoscopic balloon dilation for Crohn's strictures

PURPOSE

This study was designed to investigate retrospectively the efficacy and safety of endoscopic balloon dilation for intestinal strictures in Crohn's disease.

METHODS

Sixteen patients with 20 strictures were treated. The stricture sites were as follows: at the ileocolonic (n = 6) or ileoileal (n = 1) anastomosis, in the colon (n = 10), ileum (n = 2), and at the ileocecal valve (n = 1). The dilations were performed with through-the-scope balloons, with diameters of 15 to 20 mm on inflation and lengths of 30 to 80 mm.

RESULTS

In 15 of 16 patients, the strictures were successfully dilated and the symptoms caused by the strictures disappeared after the first session. The patients were followed for a median of 38.5 months. Repeat symptomatic stricture formation occurred after a mean of 19.7 months in seven patients. Four patients needed second-round dilation and three patients were treated surgically. Complications occurred in four patients who had primary strictures: bleeding in one, high fever in one, and colorectal perforation in two. One of the patients complicated with colorectal perforation was treated surgically, and the other was treated conservatively. The cumulative nonsurgical rates for the dilation strictures were 93 percent at 12 months and 65 percent at 36 months, respectively. Three patients were treated surgically because of strictures or fistulas that were not related to the procedure of dilation. As a whole, the cumulative nonsurgical rates were 81 percent at 12 months and 46 percent at 36 months. Nine patients (56.3 percent) were able to avoid surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Using endoscopic balloon dilation, it may be possible to avoid or postpone surgery. Primary strictures seem to have increased risk of perforation.

Colonic stenting: technique, technology, and outcomes for malignant and benign disease

Self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) have gained acceptance for use in the gastrointestinal tract to relieve malignant lumenal obstruction. In the colon, SEMS are used to avoid permanent or temporary colostomy during palliation and as a bridge to surgery for left-sided colonic obstruction. Limited data exist on their use for benign disease. This article reviews the latest in stent technology and the outcomes after their placement for benign and malignant disease.

Terminal ileal stricture in Crohn's disease: treatment using a metallic enteral endoprosthesis

Enteral strictures are a frequent indication for surgery in Crohn's disease. Postoperative complications are increased in patients with poor preoperative nutritional status, which is common in this patient population. We present a 49-year-old female with longstanding Crohn's disease admitted to our Digestive Health Center with four weeks of increasing abdominal symptoms and radiographic evidence of small-bowel obstruction caused by ileal stricture. Given her poor nutritional status, our team elected to pursue metallic enteral stenting as a bridge to surgical resection. Two Wallstents were placed; luminal patency was subsequently confirmed by a fluoroscopic study. The patient tolerated regular diet and was discharged. When seen in follow-up, she remained asymptomatic and wished to defer surgical intervention indefinitely.

Long-term outcome of endoscopic pneumatic dilatation in Crohn's disease

BACKGROUND

To avoid multiple surgeries in stenosing Crohn's disease, pneumatic endoscopic dilatation has been introduced. The present study evaluated the long-term clinical outcome in Crohn's disease patients after endoscopic dilatation for ileal or neoileal strictures.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

All Crohn's disease patients who underwent pneumatic dilatation of ileal or ileo-colonic strictures between January 1988 and December 2001 were invited to return for a clinical check-up in June 2002. Clinical, endoscopic and radiological reports were reviewed. Symptomatic relief from sub-occlusive symptoms without requiring surgery was considered as a positive outcome, whereas the requirement of surgery was regarded as an unfavourable outcome. Possible predictors of favourable outcome were analysed.

RESULTS

Endoscopic dilatation was technically successful in 34/43 (79%) Crohn's disease patients, with a mean number of dilatations per patient of 3 +/- 3.13. During a mean follow-up of 63.7 +/- 44.6 months, a positive long-term outcome was observed in 18 (52.9%) patients, whereas surgery was necessary in the remaining 16 cases. The risk of surgery was distinctly higher within 2 years post-dilatation than in the next 2 years (26.4% versus 8.3%, respectively; P = 0.078). No clear clinical, endoscopic or radiological predictive factors for a successful outcome were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

Endoscopic pneumatic dilatation is an effective and safe procedure to be applied to patients with stenosing Crohn's disease, offering a very long-term benefit in a sub-group of patients.

Hydrostatic balloon dilatation of Crohn's strictures

AIM

To evaluate the safety and long-term efficacy of per-endoscopic hydrostatic balloon dilatation in a retrospective series of patients with Crohn's disease.

METHODS

Thirty-eight patients had balloon dilatation for intestinal symptomatic strictures which were located as follows: ileo-colonic (26) or colocolic (2) anastomosis, colon (4), ileum (3), proximal jejunum (1) and ileo-caecal valve (5); three patients had two strictures accessible to dilatation. The mean length of the strictures was 2.1 cm (s.d., 0.3 cm).

RESULTS

Thirty-two of the 38 patients were successfully dilated and followed for a median of 22.8 months (0.2-103 months) until surgery or last news. The probabilities of obstructive symptom recurrence were 36% at 1 year and 60% at 5 years. Twelve patients had a second dilatation, and three a third. The probabilities of surgery for stricture were 26% at 1 year and 43% at 5 years. Results were not influenced by age, sex, activity of the disease, passage of the stricture by the colonoscope or concomitant medical therapies. Complications occurred in 9.4% of the 53 dilatation sessions, with only one perforation.

CONCLUSIONS

Hydrostatic balloon dilatation is effective for Crohn's symptomatic strictures, and can avoid or postpone surgery, with an acceptable rate of complications.

Colonoscopic balloon dilation of Crohn's strictures: a review of long-term outcomes

OBJECTIVE

To study the long-term outcomes of patients who have had endoscopic balloon dilation of Crohn's strictures.

DESIGN

Retrospective case-note review over a 16-year period.

PATIENTS

Patients with a Crohn's stricture causing obstructive symptoms and who had at least 6 months' follow-up data or a surgical outcome following dilation were sought; 59 patients (124 dilations) were identified.

INTERVENTION

Patients all underwent endoscopic balloon dilation.

RESULTS

Strictures were anastomotic in 53 patients (111 dilations) and de novo in six patients (13 dilations). The median stricture length was 3.0 cm. Median follow-up time was 29.4 months. Out of the total group, 41% of patients achieved long-term clinical benefit following dilation and in 17% after only a single dilation. The median number of dilations per patient was one. A total of 35 (59%) patients required surgery for their stricture during follow-up. There were two (1.6%) perforations as a result of dilation, one in an anastomotic stricture (managed conservatively) and one in a de-novo stricture (requiring surgery). There were no deaths.

CONCLUSIONS

Colonoscopic balloon dilation of Crohn's strictures can achieve long-term clinical benefit in many patients. Repeat dilations are justified in initial non-responders. In this series, the procedure appears safe with low morbidity.

Upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy in inflammatory bowel disease

Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is used to evaluate upper gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. This article discusses the procedure, which may allow for the diagnosis of Crohn's disease of the esophagus, stomach, and/or duodenum. Biopsies of normal gastric mucosa in patients with indeterminate colitis may be helpful in making a diagnosis of Crohn's colitis. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy may allow for therapeutic intervention in terms of bleeding and stricturing disease.

Therapeutic options in the management of strictures in Crohn's disease

Intestinal strictures are a commonly encountered problem in patients with Crohn's disease. Endoscopic management with hydrostatic balloon dilation is an effective alternative to surgery in patients with endoscopically accessible lesions that are shorter than 7-8 cm. Endoscopic balloon dilation is the preferred initial modality in anastomotic strictures. The presence of inflammation near the stricture should not be considered a contraindication to dilation, and intralesional steroid injection should be considered in these patients with inflammation present in the area of the stricture. Further technological developments in endoscopes and balloon dilators may allow for broader application of these techniques.