Maintenance of complete mucosal healing is associated with avoiding restenosis after endoscopic balloon dilation of Crohn's disease‐related small intestinal strictures

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) is an effective, minimally invasive treatment for Crohn's disease (CD) related intestinal strictures. However, restenosis frequently occurs and requires repetitive EBD or surgical resection. Since previous studies could not evaluate restenosis based on stricture diameter, factors affecting restenosis after EBD were unclear. This study aimed to identify these factors by precisely measuring the diameter of small intestinal strictures in patients with CD. METHODS: This single‐center retrospective study enrolled patients with CD with de novo small intestinal strictures who underwent two double‐balloon enteroscopy sessions (EBD and follow‐up) between January 2016 and October 2021. Clinical and endoscopic data were obtained from electronic medical records. A calibrated small‐caliber‐tip transparent hood was used to precisely measure stricture diameters. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify factors associated with restenosis. RESULTS: Forty‐eight patients (37 male) were analyzed. The total number of strictures detected decreased from 162 to 143. The mean diameter of all strictures and the narrowest stricture in each patient increased significantly from 8.6 to 9.8 mm and from 7.6 to 8.7 mm, respectively. Thirty‐two (67%) patients developed endoscopic restenosis. Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of ulcers at the follow‐up session was a risk factor for restenosis (odds ratio 9.4, p = 0.01). Patients with complete mucosal healing at both sessions (n = 21) showed significant improvement in the narrowest stricture (+1.7 mm, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Maintenance of complete mucosal healing is significantly associated with avoiding restenosis after EBD in CD‐related small intestinal strictures.