The presence of fistulizing Crohn’s disease (FCD) reflects a distinct, aggressive phenotype of CD and indicates a challenging and complicated disease course necessitating an early, intense, and multidisciplinary approach to treatment. Compared with patients without perianal involvement, patients with perianal FCD have higher rates of hospitalization, surgery, and use of immunosuppressive medications and are at higher risk of complications, including anal and rectal cancer. Further, despite recent advances in pharmacologic therapies and surgical techniques, complete healing occurs in only half of cases. Even if healing is achieved, the risk of fistula recurrence remains high regardless of the treatment approach. This multimedia IBD eHealth Source™ activity, composed of 4 chapters, will provide published clinical evidence and guideline recommendations surrounding the evaluation, medical and surgical treatment, and longitudinal assessment of FCD. Clinical data will be augmented with insights from expert faculty to provide actionable recommendations for the multidisciplinary and shared decision-making approach to care.
