Treatment of severe and fulminant colitis

Despite dramatic advances in medical treatment of inflammatory colitis, a substantial proportion of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and isolated Crohn's disease (CD) colitis will acutely develop severe disease requiring hospitalization and surgery. It is imperative that surgeons understand the multidisciplinary nuances at the intersection between medical and surgical management. It is important that the surgeon be able to evaluate and stratify the severity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) colitis, understand medical treatment options, monitor responses to medical therapy, and ultimately execute timely and appropriate surgery for these often-ill patients.