Effects of total parenteral nutrition on colonic lesions in Crohn's disease: radiographic and endoscopic study.

Changes in the colonic lesions were studied by means of radiographic and colonofiberscopic examination in 7 cases with Crohn's disease treated with total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for an average of 28.6 days. During the treatment, radiographic examination showed that narrowing, irregular contour, and various ulcers of the colon were reversed, at least in part, in all cases, although there was no improvement in the strictured lesions of 2 cases, who finally underwent surgical intervention. The colonic changes were further improved in 4 of the 5 cases who received radiographic examinations of the colon from 18 to 58 months (average 32.2 months) after TPN was discontinued. The present study suggests that treatment with TPN for Crohn's disease is not only beneficial for clinical symptoms but also improves radiographic and endoscopic changes of the colonic lesions except for stricture.