Surgical Treatment and Outcomes in Patients With Intestinal Behcet Disease: Long-term Experience of a Single Large-Volume Center

Abstract

"BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the surgical treatment of intestinal Behcet disease. Consequently, there is currently no standard surgical treatment for intestinal Behcet disease. Instead, treatment is empirical and symptom based.OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate the clinical course after surgery and determine the appropriate surgical options for intestinal Behcet disease.DESIGN: Medical charts of patients who underwent surgery for intestinal Behcet were retrospectively reviewed.SETTINGS: The study was conducted at a tertiary referral center.PATIENTS: Ninety-one patients who underwent surgical treatment for intestinal Behcet disease between January 1995 and December 2012 were included in this study.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes measured were patient demographics, clinical characteristics, operative and postoperative outcomes, and long-term follow-up data.RESULTS: Surgical treatment was mainly in response to intractability to medical treatment (56.0%), and 19.8% of patients underwent an emergency operation. Surgery was performed laparoscopically in 33.0% of the patients. Most patients received an ileocecectomy (39.6%) or a right hemicolectomy (34.1%). Twenty-eight patients (30.8%) experienced postoperative morbidities, and 8 patients (8.8%) required reoperations.