Abstract
Although free perforation in Crohn's disease (CD) is rare, it is a very dangerous event and requires an emergency operation. We studied the clinical characteristics of free perforation in CD. Free perforation was seen in 9 (7.6%) of 117 patients with CD from 1996 through 2012. All of the patients were male, and all of the perforation sites were located in the ileum. The average age was 31.1 years and the mean duration of disease was 11.7 years. All patients had been on medical treatment for CD, and 3 of the 9 were on infliximab therapy at the time of surgery. Operative procedures were resection and anastomosis in 4 patients and resection and diversion in 5 patients. Postoperative complications occurred in 5 patients (55.5%), but none of the complications was severe. All patients survived, and the five patients with diversion underwent delayed reconstruction.
