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Crohn's Disease is a chronic inflammatory disease which may involve any part of the
intestinal tract. It most commonly affects the end of the small intestine and/or the large
intestine and may be present in multiple sites of the bowel. Because it is a chronic
condition, Crohn's may recur over a lifetime.
Patients may present with abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, weight loss, and bloating.
Diagnosis is made by colonoscopy for disease affecting the colon and small bowel series for
Crohn's disease affecting the small intestine. Biopsies may confirm the diagnosis.
The initial treatment of Crohn's is usually with medications. Crohn's surgery is indicated for
patients who develop strictures, fistula (abnormal communication of the intestine with skin
or other organs), abscess (infection), perforation, malnutrition, and failure of mediucation.
Since Crohn's disease is often recurrent, we try to minimize the amount of intestine removed and also
perform an operation called strictureplasty which preserves the intestine. We also have
experience surgically treating Crohn’s via a laparoscopic surgery.
After Crohn’s Disease Surgery, smoking is bad for people and non smokers have been reported to recover faster. Recovery after Crohn’s disease surgery will depend on number of factors, too which includes your age, overall health and the extent of your surgery. Dr. Blumberg is a dedicated pioneer actively working to improve the surgical outcome of patients with Crohn’s disease, colorectal cancer & ulcerative colitis etc. while minimizing the trauma of an operation.
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