Patients and methods
allergic, Crohn’s Disease activity, infections, proctitis, abscess, lymphoproliferative active diseases, stenosis
INFECTIONS, PROCTITIS, ABSCESS, COLON, STENOSIS
This was a prospective single-arm pilot study conducted at Jinling Hospital, a tertiary care academic hospital in Nanjing. Patients were enrolled from November 2020 to November 2021. We included patients who were 18 years of age or older and fulfilled the Committee of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons 2016 diagnostic criteria for complex pfCD; and had non-active or mildly active luminal CD defined as Crohn’s Disease activity index (CDAI) < 220, with a minimum duration of 6 months. In addition, they had to have received surgical therapy (drainage or seton placement) and systemic administration of anti-TNF-alpha for at least 14 weeks. Patients with more than 1 internal and 3 external openings, abscess, stenosis, severe proctitis, active infections or lymphoproliferative active diseases were excluded. Patients who were allergic to anesthetics or magnetic resonance image scan (MRI) contrast were also excluded. The clinical trial process is shown in Fig. Flowchart of the clinical trial