Endoscopic management of inflammatory bowel disease strictures.

Stricture formation is a common complication of Crohn's disease, occurring in approximately one third of all patients with this condition. While the traditional management of such strictures has been largely surgical, there have been case series going back three decades highlighting the potential role of endoscopic balloon dilation in this clinical setting. This review article summarizes the stricture pathogenesis, focusing on known clinical and genetic risk factors. It then highlights the endoscopic balloon dilation research to date, with particular emphasis on three large recent case series. It concludes by describing the literature consensus regarding specific methodology and presenting avenues for future investigations.