Acute Complications of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) poses a challenging problem for the general surgeon. Despite advances in medical management, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) often present with acute and emergent surgical issues. Surgical intervention is generally reserved for failed medical therapy or complications of the disease. The complications that may require urgent surgical intervention include hemorrhage, acute severe colitis, perforation, obstruction, abscess, and fistula disease. For patients with colonic emergencies, an abdominal colectomy with end ileostomy is recommended. Laparoscopy can be safe and beneficial in IBD patients and should be considered in the emergency setting.