Abstract
The management of inflammatory bowel disease is both challenging and evolving. Inflammatory bowel disease patient care is a great example of the need for multidisciplinary collaboration, as both medical and surgical management are often necessary and closely connected. In addition, caring for inflammatory bowel disease patients requires thoughtful attention to the patient's symptoms, treatment and palliation options, and shared decision making. We assembled this inflammatory bowel disease symposium for the Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques (JLAST) to explore topics affecting ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease management.
We have been fortunate to have contributions from prominent gastroenterologists and surgeons experienced in the care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. They will be presenting evidence-based reviews of controversial topics in inflammatory bowel disease management, as well as sharing strategies and technical tips regarding their approaches to specific inflammatory bowel disease-related issues.
This symposium covers topics for the care of both Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patients. Regarding Crohn's disease, the reviews include understanding when to proceed with surgical management, surgical options for stricturing Crohn's disease, anastomotic techniques, and how to approach perianal fistulizing disease. Regarding ulcerative colitis, the reviews include the management of colitis-associated dysplasia, technical tips on minimally invasive colectomy and transanal ileoanal pouch creation, staging pouch surgery, and dealing with pelvic sepsis after pouch creation.
We are grateful for the opportunity to put together this inflammatory bowel disease symposium for the readers of JLAST. Special thanks to the editors, the editorial board, and the contributing authors. We truly enjoyed working on this project and we hope that the JLAST readers find these reviews to be interesting and useful.