Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Crohn's & Colitis) — Treatment in Lucknow
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) — chiefly Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis — involves long-term inflammation of the digestive tract. It is primarily managed with medication by a gastroenterologist, but a proportion of patients need surgery, either for complications or when medical treatment no longer controls the disease. Surgery in IBD is specialised and benefits from a coordinated medical-surgical approach.
Dr Sandeep Kumar Verma provides surgical care for inflammatory bowel disease in Lucknow at Medanta, working alongside gastroenterologists.
What is inflammatory bowel disease?
Ulcerative colitis causes continuous inflammation of the colon and rectum; Crohn's disease can affect any part of the digestive tract and tends to be patchy and deeper. Both run a long-term course of flares and remissions. While medication is the mainstay of treatment, surgery has an important role for specific complications and for disease that resists medical control.
Symptoms to watch for
- Persistent or recurrent diarrhoea, sometimes with blood
- Abdominal pain and cramping
- Urgency and a feeling of incomplete emptying
- Weight loss, tiredness and, in flares, fever
- In Crohn's disease, fistulas or abscesses around the anus
Causes & risk factors
- An over-active immune response in the bowel
- Genetic predisposition
- Environmental and microbial factors
- Smoking (which worsens Crohn's disease)
How it is diagnosed
- Colonoscopy with biopsies
- MRI or CT enterography, especially for Crohn's disease
- Blood and stool tests for inflammation
- Coordinated assessment with a gastroenterologist
When surgery is needed in IBD
Most IBD is managed medically. Surgery becomes necessary for complications — such as a stricture (narrowing), a fistula or abscess, severe bleeding, or disease that no longer responds to medication — and, in ulcerative colitis, surgery to remove the colon can be curative for the colitis itself. Operations are increasingly performed laparoscopically.
Surgery in IBD requires careful timing and a close partnership between the surgeon and the gastroenterologist. Dr Verma provides this coordinated surgical care, tailoring the operation to the individual and the type of disease.
When to see a GI surgeon
- Persistent diarrhoea, especially with blood, pain or weight loss
- Known IBD with a flare not responding to treatment
- Crohn's disease with anal pain, discharge or abscess
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): common questions
Does inflammatory bowel disease always need surgery?
No. Most people with IBD are managed with medication by a gastroenterologist. Surgery is needed for a proportion — for complications such as strictures, fistulas or bleeding, or when medical treatment no longer controls the disease. In ulcerative colitis, surgery can even be curative for the colitis.
Is IBD surgery done by keyhole?
Increasingly, yes. Many operations for inflammatory bowel disease are now performed laparoscopically, which means less pain and a faster recovery. The approach depends on the type and severity of the disease and is planned together with your gastroenterologist.
Concerned about inflammatory bowel disease (ibd)?
Dr Sandeep Kumar Verma offers clear assessment and expert treatment. Book a consultation for personalised advice.