Segmental distribution in refractory ulcerative colitis: a histological evaluation in pediatric and adult patients who underwent proctocolectomy

Long-term Single-centre Outcomes After Proctocolectomy With Ileoanal Anastomosis for Paediatric Ulcerative Colitis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Childhood-onset ulcerative colitis [UC] requires total colectomy in one-quarter of patients at some point of their disease. The study objective was to evaluate long-term outcomes after proctocolectomy with ileoanal anastomosis [IAA] for paediatric UC.

METHODS

Medical records of all children undergoing proctocolectomy with IAA for UC during 1985-2016 in Helsinki University Hospital were retrospectively assessed. Data on disease history, diagnostic and operative details, occurrence of surgical complications, functional outcome, postoperative diagnosis of Crohn's disease [CD] and pouch failure were collected. Risk factors for IAA failure were analysed with Cox regression.

RESULTS

Of 87 patients, 85 [98%] had UC and 2 [2%] inflammatory bowel disease unclassified [IBD-U] preoperatively. Altogether 66% underwent two-stage and 34% underwent three-stage procedures. During 7.8 [4.1-14.5] years' follow-up, nine [10%] patients were diagnosed with postoperative CD. Postoperative leakages [n = 8, 9%] and strictures [n = 10, 11%] were equally common, whereas fistulas [78% vs 9%, p <0.001] and abscesses [56% vs 14%, p = 0.009] were more frequent among patients with later CD diagnosis. At latest follow-up, eight [9%] patients had been converted to a permanent ileostomy and others reported daytime stooling frequency of 5 [4-7] and 0.5 [0-1] at night. CD diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR] = 23.3, p = 0.005), postoperative abscesses [HR = 16.3, p = 0.013] and fistulas [HR = 20.9, p = 0.007] as well as three-stage surgery [p = 0.018] increased risk for ileostomy.

CONCLUSIONS

For paediatric UC, long-term surgical and functional outcomes after proctocolectomy with IAA are reassuring. Need for three-stage surgery and occurrence of postoperative fistulas and abscesses, but not leakages or strictures, associate with postoperative CD diagnosis and the risk for ileostomy.

Precolectomy Therapy Does Not Alter Histologic Findings Distribution in Resected Colon in Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis

OBJECTIVES

Medically intractable pediatric ulcerative colitis can lead to colectomy after which patients commonly receive an ileoanal pouch. Postoperative complications are more common in patients with Crohn disease, a diagnosis that may be rendered after the colectomy specimen is examined. Because most children are likely to be exposed to medications before colectomy, we sought to examine whether such exposure influences the distribution of the inflammation within the resected colon and therefore potentially raise questions about the diagnosis accuracy.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 32 pediatric ulcerative colitis cases undergoing colectomy from 2007 to 2014 for clinical data and precolectomy treatment history. The resected colon histology was reviewed independently by 2 blinded pathologists. The acute/active inflammation was scored using the modified Riley score for 3 colonic segments (proximal, transverse, and distal colon) for each patient. Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate possible association between acute/active inflammation scores at various sites and medication use.

RESULTS

Twelve cases (38%) showed decreasing acute inflammation score distally to proximally, 8 (25%) had increasing scores, and 12 cases showed no change. Patients were most commonly exposed to corticosteroids, followed by anti-tumor necrosis factor antibodies. There was no statistically or clinically significant change in the histologic scores across the colonic segments of the resected colon in association with exposure to any specific medication or combination of medications, sex, age at diagnosis and surgery, or duration of disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Precolectomy therapy does not seem to influence the distribution of inflammation within the resected colon.