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BackgroundPediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be associated with a higher burden of surgery and postoperative complications. This study aimed to measure the burden in pediatric IBD over a 20-year period in a large tertiary referral center.MethodsA retrospective review was conducted of children diagnosed with IBD between 1996 and 2015, with a focus upon operative intervention (excluding endoscopy) and postoperative outcomes.ResultsOf 786 IBD patients, 121/581 (20.8%) with Crohn's disease (CD) and 22/205 (10.7%) with ulcerative colitis (UC) underwent surgery during the study period. When comparing 10-year epochs for CD, median time from diagnosis to intervention decreased from 34?months to 3?months (P?0.0001). Postoperative complications occurred in 16/121 (13%) CD patients (bowel obstruction: 10, anastomotic stricture: 4, stomal issues: 4, anastomotic leak: 1). Within the UC cohort, the median time from diagnosis to intervention decreased from 62?months to 6?months (P?=?0.0019). Postoperative complications occurred in 9/22 (41%) UC patients (bowel obstruction: 7, stomal issues: 3, anastomotic stricture: 1). Compared with CD, complications were more frequent in UC patients (P?=?0.004).ConclusionSurgery and postoperative complications are common in pediatric IBD. The timing of intervention has trended towards earlier operations in both CD and UC.Level of evidenceTreatment study—level III (retrospective comparative study). |