Medical Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Surgeons often care for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who are receiving therapies that can include 5-ASA compounds, steroids, immunomodulators, and biologics. The goal of these agents is to suppress intestinal inflammation, ultimately improving the quality of life in patients afflicted with IBD. Traditionally, an acceptable therapeutic endpoint was the resolution of symptoms, defined as clinical remission.