CONSORT: Different End-Points of Preoperative Nutrition and Outcome of Bowel Resection of Crohn Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Nutritional therapy cannot only improve nutritional status but also reduce bowel inflammation in Crohn disease (CD). The benefits of preoperative nutritional therapy on outcomes of surgery for CD have been demonstrated. However, the ideal end-points of preoperative nutrition in CD remain elusive. We conducted this study to figure out whether improvement of malnutrition or reduction of inflammation is the better end-point of preoperative nutrition for CD. This was a prospective, randomized study. All patients enrolled received preoperative nutrition with different end-points (improvement of malnutrition, IOM, or reduction of inflammation, ROI). The end-points were defined using serum albumin and body weight gain, and serum C-reactive protein (CRP), respectively. Postoperative complications, rate of fecal diversion, and postoperative recurrence of the disease were compared. A total of 108 patients were randomized and 91 patients (44 in IOM group and 47 in ROI group) completed this study. It took 25.57 ± 11.68 days to achieve ROI and 45.29 ± 18.47 days for IOM (P = 0.0023). After nutritional therapy, serum CRP, CDAI, and serum albumin in both groups improved significantly. But patients in the IOM group had a higher albumin level and body weight gain compared with ROI group (P = 0.0026, P < 0.0001). When comparing postoperative complications, rate of fecal diversion, and postoperative recurrence, no significant differences were noted. Compared with IOM, ROI as the end-point of preoperative nutrition had the same benefits on operative outcomes in CD patients undergoing resection, but could be achieved in a shorter time (NCT01540942).