Perineal lesions in childhood Crohn's disease

Background. - Perineal lesions (PAL) usually evolve together with bowel disease and often constitute a serious and disabling complication of Crohn's disease. Patients. - Forty-three children (47%) with Crohn's disease developed PAL in a retrospective study of 92 patients ranging in age from 4 to 20 years. Results. - PAL occured at the mean age of 11.4 +/- 0.7 years, prior to diagnosis in 25% or subsequently in 21%. PAL were severe: complex fistulae (15%), rectovaginal fistulae (2%), and raggedness (13%); moderate: subcutaneous fistulae (11%), abcesses (19%), cavitating ulcers (9.5%) and stricture formations (5.7%); or mild: eczema (6.7%), fissures (57%) and skin tags (17%). An association with these various features has been observed in 31%. The extent of involvement of the gastrointestinal tract was rectosigmoid (72%), ileal and colonic (41%), ileal with pancolitis (12%). Two PAL course profiles were observed: one with exacerbation and remissions (52%), the other without remission (48%), especially anal raggedness (100%), cavitating ulcers (80%) and skin rags (61%). Medical treatment included steroids (54%), metronidazole (53%) salicylates (51%), nutritional support (44%), azathioprine (17%). PAL healed in 41%. Surgical treatment was performed in 27% with 83% of healing. Relapses occurred in 35% after medical treatment and 86% after surgery. (C) 1998, Elsevier, Paris.