Durable remission after ileocolic resection for Crohn’s disease is achievable in selected patients. Long-term results of a prospective multicentric cohort study of the GETAID Chirurgie
Solafah Abdalla, Stéphane Benoist, Léon Maggiori, Jérémie H Lefèvre, Quentin Denost, Eddy Cotte, Adeline Germain, Laura Beyer-Berjot, Véronique Desfourneaux, Amine Rahili, Jean-Pierre Duffas, Karine Pautrat, Christine Denet, Valérie Bridoux, Guillaume Meurette, Jean-Luc Faucheron, Jérôme Loriau, François-Régis Souche, Hélène Corte, Éric Vicaut, Philippe Zerbib, Yves Panis, Antoine BrouquetAbstract
Background and aims
Postoperative recurrence requiring medical treatment intensification or redo-surgery is common after ileocolic resection (ICR) for Crohn’s disease (CD). This study aimed to identify a subgroup of CD patients for whom ICR could achieve durable remission.
Methods
This retrospective follow-up study analyzed 592 CD patients who underwent ICR (2013–2015) in a nationwide prospective cohort. Patients with >36 months follow-up were included. Primary outcome was durable remission, defined as the absence of endoscopic recurrence and/or medical treatment intensification. Uni- and multivariate analyses identified predictive factors for durable remission.
Results
Among 268 included patients, 59% had B2 phenotype, 70% had a first ICR and 66% had postoperative medical treatment. After a median follow-up of 85(36-104) months, 52 patients (19%) experienced durable remission, of whom 24 (46%) didn’t require medical treatment and 28 (54%) maintained the same postoperative treatment, including anti-TNF in 15/28 patients (54%). Surgery could stabilize the disease course in 112 patients (41.7%), including 22.4% endoscopic recurrence that didn’t require CD treatment initiation or intensification. Durable remission rate was significantly increased in B1 phenotype vs. B2/B3 (n=7/18;39% vs n=45/250;18%, p=0.030) and in first ICR vs. redo ICR (n=43/184;23% vs n=9/80;11%, p=0.023). In multivariate analysis, B1 phenotype was the only independent predictive factor for durable remission (OR=3.59, IC95%[1.13-11.37], p=0.030).
Conclusions
Surgery for CD achieved durable remission in 20%, rising to 40% in those with a B1 phenotype. These results support surgery as a viable alternative to medical treatment, offering treatment-free durable remission and preserving medical treatment options.