DRG Category: 329

Mean LOS: 15.7 days

Description SURGICAL: Major Small and Large Bowel Procedures with Major CC

DRG Category: 386

Mean LOS: 5.4 days

Description MEDICAL: Inflammatory Bowel Disease with CC

classification section:



Crohn's disease (CD), also known as granulomatous colitis or regional enteritis, is a chronic, nonspecific inflammatory disease of the bowel that occurs most commonly in the terminal ileum, jejunum, and the colon, although it may affect any part of the gastrointestinal (GI) system from the mouth to the anus. In the United States, the prevalence of CD is approximately 7 cases per 100,000 population, and the prevalence has steadily increased in recent decades. Like ulcerative colitis, CD is marked by remissions and exacerbations, but, unlike ulcerative colitis, it can affect any portion of the tubular GI tract.

The disease creates deep, longitudinal mucosal ulcerations and nodular submucosal thickenings called granulomas, which give the intestinal wall a cobblestone appearance and may alter its absorptive abilities. The inflamed and ulcerated areas occur only in segments of the bowel, and normal bowel tissue segments occur between the diseased segments. Eventually, thickening of the bowel wall, narrowing of the bowel lumen, and strictures of the bowel are common. Also, fistulae that connect to other tissue—such as the skin, bladder, rectum, and vagina—often occur.