Indications and results of side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty in Crohn's disease

Purpose: Strictureplasty has commonly been used for short stenotic tracts, but it has rarely been applied to stenoses longer than 10 cm. Michelassi proposed a side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty for single or multiple strictures that affected long bowel tracts. The experience and results obtained to date with this type of strictureplasty are limited. We therefore decided to review the cases in which we performed this procedure. Methods: Thirty-one patients, aged 21 to 66 years, underwent this operation between August 1996 and October 2002. Indications for surgery included subocclusion in 22 patients, malnutrition in 9 patients, and fistula or abscess in 6 patients. Two side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasties have been performed in jejunum, 6 in jejunum-ileum, 16 in the proximal ileum, 1 in terminal ileum, and 6 in the ileo-cecal tract. Results: The average length ofside-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty as 32. 1 cm (range, 10–54 cm). Sixteen patients also underwent concomitant bowel resection and 17 patients have received additional strictureplasty. There was no perioperative mortality, nor were there any postoperative complications requiring reoperation. In all patients intestinal occlusion and malnutrition were resolved. Decrease of activity indices was observed in 62. 3 percent of patients within 6 months after surgery. At an average follow-up of 26. 4 months, six patients required reoperation, but in only one of them did the recurrence involve a previous strictureplasty site. In that case the side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty was soft and was without signs of inflammation or stenosis. Conclusions: Side-to-side isoperistaltic strictureplasty seems to provide a technical solution leading to improvement when long intestinal inflamed tract are treated. Longer follow-up and larger experience is needed to validate this observation.