Mucosal healing of esophageal involvement of Crohn's disease with granulocyte/monocyte adsorption

Abstract

We report a case of a 16-year-old male who suffered from Crohn's disease (CD) with esophageal involvement, showing remarkable improvement with granulocyte/monocyte adsorption (GMA). The patient had been diagnosed as ileocolic CD and was treated with 5-aminosalicylate. He was admitted to our hospital with symptoms of fever, diarrhea, and odynophagia. Endoscopic examinations revealed that the exacerbation of ileocolic ulcers, and advent of ulcers in esophagus. Because of the patient's refusal to receive corticosteroids, immunomodulators, or biologics, he underwent GMA twice a week. After 10 sessions of GMA, he entered remission with significant decrease in clinical activity. In addition, endoscopic examinations showed remarkable improvement of ileocolic ulcers and disappearance of esophageal lesions. No adverse events were observed. GMA could be effective for manifestations of CD in gastrointestinal tract other than ileum or colon. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.