Postoperative treatment with corticosteroids and salazosulphapyridine (Salazopyrin) after radical resection for Crohn's disease.

In a prospective multicentre study, 97 patients with Crohn's disease and operated on by a radical excision of the Crohn-involved bowel were randomly divided into two groups, one treated 33 weeks postoperatively by corticosteroids and Salazopyrin and the other without any medical treatment postoperatively. The patients in the two groups were followed up during three years after the operation and an X-ray of the bowel was yearly performed. Thirteen patients were excluded for different reasons, which means that 84 patients were left for the study. There was no statistically significant difference in the number of recurrences after one, two, or three years of observation time in the two groups of patients. There was a statistically significantly longer time between diagnosis and operation in the group of patients with recurrences than in patients with no recurrences. This might mean that patients with Crohn's disease undergoing an early operation have a better chance of escaping recurrences.