[Inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis). Possibilities and limitations of surgical therapy].

Ulcerative colitis can be cured by surgical therapy. Indications for surgery are severe disease not controlled by medical therapy, complication of colitis and prophylaxis of malignancy. Operation of choice is proctocolectomy and ileoanal anastomosis with pelvic ileal pouch, preserving continence. Alternatives are colectomy and ileo-recto-anastomosis if the rectum is free of disease and proctocolectomy with ileostomy if the rectum is involved. Crohn's disease cannot be cured by surgery. Indications for surgery are obstructing or perforating complications of enterocolitis. Basis of surgical therapy is resection, which should be restricted to the severely diseased bowel segment. Structureplasty can correct short bowel stenosis without resection. Surgery for anal Crohn's disease should be limited to drainage of septic complications. Postoperative results support a tendency towards early surgery in ulcerative colitis, while surgery in Crohn's disease should be reserved for severe and complicated disease.