More than 75% of patients require surgical interventions for the complications of Crohn’s disease. In the postoperative period, adequate anesthesia is necessary for the timely activation and recovery of the patient. However, in these patients, the intensity of postoperative pain syndrome is significantly higher than in cancer patients or general surgical patients, which is associated with unregulated inflammation.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the pain syndrome following ileocecal resection for Crohn’s disease and right-sided hemicolectomy for colon cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We included two groups of 22 patients each in a retrospective study from 2015 to 2021 (the main group: those who underwent laparoscopic ileocecal resection for Crohn’s disease complications; the control group: those who underwent laparoscopic right-sided hemicolectomy for colon cancer). We assessed the intensity of PIMS in the early postoperative period using a visual analog scale and the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood.

RESULTS

In the first three days following surgery, there was a significant difference in the severity of the pain syndrome between the groups (p=0.03), and then it became insignificant (p=0.13). The CRP level in the main group in the early postoperative period was higher than in the control group (p=0.05). Opioid analgesics were used more frequently in patients with Crohn’s disease (p=0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with Crohn’s disease have significantly higher pain intensity and CRP levels in the early postoperative period compared to the control group, and there is also a correlation between pain intensity and the level of inflammatory markers.