Perioperative management of biologic agents in Crohn's disease

The medical management of inflammatory bowel disease has shifted towards more frequent use of biologics in the current era. This has led to an increasing number of patients exposed to various classes of biologics in the perioperative period. Evidence regarding the impact of preoperative exposure to this therapy on surgical outcomes remains controversial and difficult to completely assess given different confounding factors associated with the disease process. Regardless, it is imperative that surgeons have an improved understanding of the perioperative optimization of biologics in order to more closely work with both their patients and gastroenterologists to achieve optimal outcomes.