“The presence of involved histological margins at the time of index resection in Crohn’s disease is associated with recurrence, and plexitis shows promise as a marker of more aggressive disease. Further studies with homogeneity of histopathological and recurrence reporting are required.“”The presence of involved histological margins at the time of index resection in Crohn’s disease is associated with recurrence, and plexitis shows promise as a marker of more aggressive disease. Further studies with homogeneity of histopathological and recurrence reporting are required.“

“Patients with positive margins likely have more aggressive disease and, hence, are more likely to have a recurrence. Performing radical resections (ie, taking margins of macroscopically normal bowel) does not reduce the rate of recurrence postoperatively, 43 but instead reduces the length of healthy bowel remaining and thus increases the risk of short-bowel syndrome. The findings of the current study merely demonstrate that the presence of involved histological margins at the time of index resection in CD is associated with disease recurrence, and that plexitis is indicative of a more aggressive disease pattern, requiring escalation of early adjuvant medical therapy.”

Ryan JM, et al Meta-analysis of Histological Margin Positivity in the Prediction of Recurrence After Crohn’s Resection. Dis Colon Rectum. 2019 Jul;62(7):882-892. Full Text for Emory Users