Key Concepts

• Despite significant advances in medical management, surgery for Crohn’s disease remains a vital component of many treatment paradigms.
• Optimal timing of surgery is critical in order to achieve the best outcome.
• Preoperative patient optimization is of critical importance.
• The surgeon treating Crohn’s disease should be familiar with bowel-sparing principles and properly apply them while not compromising long-lasting remissions.
• Different anastomotic configurations should be considered based on severity and location of the disease.
• For all the abovementioned aspects, Crohn’s disease requires a multidisciplinary approach to achieve optimal and lasting outcomes.
• Risk stratification should guide postoperative medical management.