Perioperative nutritional strategies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn′s disease and ulcerative colitis are chronic, life-long, and relapsing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Surgical interventions are often necessary in the treatment of IBD. Malnutrition which is common may increase the likelihood of poor surgical outcomes. Although enteral nutrition (EN) is considered the preferred nutrition support modality when the gastrointestinal tract is accessible and functional, parenteral nutrition (PN) may provide a suitable alternative when the use of EN is not feasible. Although results appear promising, additional, larger studies are necessary to improve our understanding of the benefits of perioperative nutritional support in patients with IBD. Key words: Crohn′s disease; Ulcerative colitis; Perioperative; Nutrition