Mesalamine for prophylaxis of small bowel Crohn's disease recurrence.

Mesalamine has been studied extensively as a therapeutic option in patients with Crohn's disease. Endoscopic follow-up of patients resected for ileal Crohn's disease has shown that, in the absence of treatment, postoperative recurrence occurs in approximately 70% to 90% of patients within 1 year of the operation. Recurrence requires further surgical intervention in approximately half of patients within 10 years. Therapeutic strategies aimed at preventing recurrence are essential to the management of patients with Crohn's disease. This article offers a critical evaluation of results from clinical studies of mesalamine for prevention of recurrence in small bowel Crohn's disease.