Background: There are reported variations in the intraoperative management of Crohn's disease. This consensus statement aimed to develop a standardised protocol for photographic documentation of intraoperative findings and critical procedural steps in ileocolonic Crohn's disease surgery.
Methods: Colorectal surgeons with a specialist interest in minimally invasive surgery and inflammatory bowel disease were invited as committee members to develop a survey on the use of photo-documentation in Crohn's disease surgery. A 15 item survey was developed on ethical considerations and applications of photo-documentation in audit and quality control, research, and training.
Results: There was strong agreement on the potential application of intraoperative photo-documentation in Crohn's disease for training, research, quality control and tertiary referrals. Reviewers agreed that intraoperative staging required photo-documentation of strictures, skip lesions, perforations, fat wrapping and mesenteric disease. The necessary steps to be photo-documented were very specific to Crohn's disease surgery, such as views of anastomosis and strictureplasties, and extent of resection(s).
Conclusions: Our consensus statement identified several items for appropriate intraoperative photo-documentation in Crohn's disease surgery, to be used as an adjunct to accurate annotation of intraoperative findings and procedures.
Keywords: Colorectal surgery; Crohn's disease; Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
© 2022 The Authors. Colorectal Disease published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.