Strictureplasty

Relief for intestinal narrowing due to Crohn’s disease.

If you have Crohn’s disease, you may develop bowel obstructions called strictures because of scar tissue that builds up in your intestinal wall. Strictures narrow your intestines and make it hard for food to move normally through them, which can be painful and uncomfortable and lead to abdominal (belly) cramps.

Strictureplasty is a surgical procedure to widen strictures. When you work with the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) team at Henry Ford Health, you have access to colorectal surgeons with advanced expertise in performing this procedure.

How strictureplasty works

Unlike a bowel resection, strictureplasty doesn’t involve removing sections of the intestine. Instead, we simply widen the areas of the intestine that have become too narrow because of the buildup of scar tissue.

Depending on where your stricture is, we may be able to perform your strictureplasty through minimally invasive surgery. This involves using several small incisions (less than an inch long) and an endoscope (a thin, flexible tube with a camera and surgical instruments). If we can’t reach your stricture with an endoscope, we may need to use open surgical techniques for your strictureplasty.

You’ll need to stay with us in the hospital for three to five days to recover after your strictureplasty. Afterward, while you’ll remain under your gastroenterologist’s continuing care for your Crohn’s disease, you should be able to eat as usual without pain and cramping.