Intestinal involvement in Behçet's disease: review of 136 surgical cases in the Japanese literature.

A survey was prepared of 136 cases of laparotomy in patients with Behçet's disease and intestinal ulcers in Japan. The incidence of the disease is highest in males in the fourth and fifth decades. The ulcers are frequently found in the terminal ileum and the cecum. The ulcers are liable to perforate into the abdominal cavity, so that many patients require emergency operation. Resection of the ileocecal region or right half of the colon is the usual operation in the treatment of this disease. However, it is necessary to search for skip lesions, because multiple ulcers may be present. The incidence of postoperative complications and postoperative recurrence of ulcers is so high that supplementary management is often required.