Gastrostomy placement in patients with Crohn's disease.

Crohn's disease often involves the stomach, yet a permanent enterocutaneous fistula does not usually occur, after a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy is removed from a patient with Crohn's disease. This is because the factors that are related to the non-closure of a fistula are absent or have been treated (distal bowel obstruction, abdominal sepsis, undernutrition, poor gastric blood supply or abnormal serum levels of C-reactive protein and albumin). Gastric involvement in patients with Crohn's disease is common. Enterocutaneous fistulas from the stomach are rare. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion and subsequent removal rarely cause problems in patients with Crohn's disease. Endoscopic removal of a PEG is advised in patients with Crohn's disease. Steroids may delay gastric adhesion to the anterior abdominal wall.