Leak rate after limited small bowel resection in CD

the corpus does not report a leak rate specific to "limited small bowel resection". The available Crohn's-specific leak figures come from anastomotic-configuration and ileocolic-resection studies, where stapled side-to-side anastomoses run ~2% vs ~14% for handsewn end-to-end in one retrospective series, with a meta-analysis confirming lower leak rates for stapled side-to-side ¹. narrative statements put ileocolic anastomotic leak in Crohn's in a range broadly comparable to trauma colonic repair (~4–5%) ². ^1,3

What is known:

• One retrospective Crohn's series reported anastomotic leak of 2% for stapled side-to-side vs 14% for handsewn end-to-end (p=0.07), though the handsewn group had higher steroid use. ¹
• A meta-analysis of eight studies found slightly lower leak rates with stapled side-to-side versus handsewn end-to-end anastomoses in Crohn's. ¹
• Strictureplasty series for small-bowel Crohn's report low procedure-specific septic complications, with only two leak-related deaths in the entire literature. ³
• Malnutrition, high-dose corticosteroids, and intra-abdominal abscess are cited as elevating anastomotic-leak risk, supporting selective diversion. ¹

What is unknown / caveats:

• No chunk reports a leak rate for the specific term 'limited small bowel resection'
• Figures are drawn from ileocolic-resection and anastomotic-configuration studies, not isolated small-bowel resection
• Leak rates are confounded by anastomotic technique and steroid exposure
• The retrieved evidence characterizes leak by anastomotic configuration and ileocolic context rather than by resection extent, so a single "limited small bowel resection" rate cannot be isolated.

References

1. [No authors listed]. State-of-the-art surgery for Crohn's disease: Part I-small intestine/ileal disease. Langenbecks Arch Surg. 2022;407(3):885-895. PMID: 34738167.

2. Surma J, Hebert D, Riggan N, Cirocco W, Alashari A. Crohn's Disease Diagnosed Intraoperatively During a Trauma Exploratory Laparotomy. Case Rep Gastrointest Med. 2025;2025:1839198. PMID: 41477655.

3. Dasari BV, Maxwell R, Gardiner KR. Assessment of complications following strictureplasty for small bowel Crohn's Disease. Ir J Med Sci. 2010;179(2):201-5. PMID: 19714392.

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