The Occurrence of Postoperative Complications in Patients Undergoing Surgery due to Complications from Crohn's Disease: A Case Report

Abstract

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract that can give rise to strictures, inflammatory masses, fistulas, abscesses, hemorrhage, and cancer. This disease commonly affects the small bowel, colon, rectum or anus. Less commonly, it affects the stomach, esophagus and mouth. Often, the disease affects multiple areas of the gastrointestinal tract. The cause of CD is not known and there is no curative treatment. The current medical and surgical treatment is effective in controlling the disease, but even with optimal treatment, recurrences and relapses are frequent. Various risk factors specific for the patients with conditions related to the CD can influence the outcome of the surgical treatment in the postoperative period. Those risk factors can be preoperative laboratory inflammatory markers such as WBC and CRP values, phlegmona of the anterior abdominal wall and preoperative interintestinal abscess, positive resection margins. Here we present a case of a patient who was surgically treated as an emergent case because of the complication due to Crohn's disease. At presentation, the patient had leukocytosis, elevated CRP, anemia, low levels of total proteins, and albumin.