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Crohn's disease of the vulva in a 10-year-old girl. Kuloğlu Zarife,Kansu Aydan,Demirçeken Fulya,Bozkir Mehtap,Kundakçi Nihal,Bingöl-Koloğlu Meltem,Girgin Nurten The Turkish journal of pediatrics Crohn's disease may involve all parts of the gastrointestinal tract and may often involve other organs as well. These non-intestinal affections are termed extraintestinal manifestations. Vulval involvement is an uncommon extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's disease, and it is very rare in children. Patients with vulval CD typically present with erythema and edema of the labia majora, which progresses to extensive ulcer formation. Vulval Crohn's disease can appear before or after intestinal problems or it may occur simultaneously. We present a 10-year-old girl with intestinal Crohn's disease complicated with perianal skin tags and asymptomatic unilateral labial hypertrophy. The course of her lesion was independent of the intestinal disease and responded significantly to medical treatment including azathioprine and topical steroid. We emphasize that although vulval involvement in childhood is uncommon, Crohn's disease must be considered in the differential diagnosis of nontender, red, edematous lesions of the genital area.
Management of perianal Crohn's disease. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Symptomatic anal disease (excluding skin tags) was observed in 49 out of 151 successive patients treated for Crohn's disease. Two main types of anal disease were encountered: anal ulceration (23 patients) and anal abscesses and fistulae (26 patients). The ulcer group rarely required local surgical treatment. In the fistula group, a low tract was demonstrated and laid open in 20 patients. The healing times after operation in these patients were compared with those of 18 patients with non-Crohn's fistula-in-ano treated by the same method. No significant difference between the two groups could be demonstrated. Surgical treatment of low fistula-in-ano may be undertaken in patients with Crohn's disease, provided the bowel disease is under adequate control. 10.1177/014107688207500609
Endoscopic lesions in low-to average-risk patients with minimal bright red bleeding from midline anal fissures. How much should we go in? Sotoudehmanesh R,Ainechi S,Asgari A A,Kolahdoozan S Techniques in coloproctology BACKGROUND:Anal fissure is a common condition in young patients, and the main symptoms include anal pain and bleeding. Our aim was to determine the need to perform lower gastrointestinal endoscopy on patients with midline anal fissure who present with minimal bright red rectal bleeding and who are at low risk for colorectal neoplasia. METHODS:Patients with midline anal fissure who reported small amounts of red blood on toilet paper, toilet bowl or stool after defecation were evaluated. Patients with alarm signs (recently altered bowel habit, weight loss, anemia and family or personal history of colorectal neoplasms) were excluded. A total of 134 patients (80 female and 54 male, aged 35.8+/-11.4 years) were studied. Patients younger than 40 years underwent flexible sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy was used for older ones. RESULTS:Fissures were posterior in 106 cases (79.1%) and anterior in 27 cases (20.1%); one patient (0.7%) had both anterior and posterior fissures. The lower gastrointestinal endoscopy was normal in 120 patients (89.6%), and 36 patients (26.9%) had associated internal hemorrhoids. Adenomatous polyps were found in 4 cases (3.0%), ulcerative colitis in 8 (6.0%) and Crohn's disease in one patient (0.7%). There was no case of adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS:Clinical evaluation plus rectoscopy might be the appropriate evaluation in this selected group of patients, if our results are confirmed by further studies. 10.1007/s10151-007-0377-3
Surgery for symptomatic hemorrhoids and anal fissures in Crohn's disease. Wolkomir A F,Luchtefeld M A Diseases of the colon and rectum This study was undertaken to determine the outcome of surgery for symptomatic hemorrhoids and anal fissures in patients with known Crohn's disease. Seventeen patients underwent surgery for symptomatic hemorrhoids. Fifteen of these 17 patients' wounds healed without complication. Twenty-five patients underwent 27 operations for anal fissures. Twenty-two of these patients had uncomplicated wound healing by two months. Long-term follow-up, which was at a mean of 11.5 years in the hemorrhoid patients and 7.5 years in the fissure patients, revealed that only three patients required proctectomy, none as a direct result of surgery. Patients with severe symptoms secondary to anal fissures and hemorrhoids, who are known to have Crohn's disease and who cannot be controlled with conservative medical management, may undergo surgery on a highly selective basis when the disease is in the quiescent state. Proctectomy is not an inevitable outcome. 10.1007/bf02049859
Metastatic Crohn's disease involving the penis. Chiba M,Iizuka M,Horie Y,Masamune O Journal of gastroenterology Metastatic Crohn's disease is a rare complication in Crohn's disease and there have been only several cases of metastatic Crohn's disease involving the penis. We report one such case. A 22-year-old male student developed anal pain and alternative constipation and diarrhea in December, 1985, followed by diarrhea and lower abdominal pain in January, 1986. He was diagnosed as having Crohn's disease of ileocolitis type. He was admitted to our hospital in July, 1987 because of exacerbation of Crohn's disease. He had anal tags. Soon after admission, two red swollen lesions with central ulcer and erosions were demonstrated at the eversion of the foreskin adjacent to coronal sulcus. Histology of the lesions revealed granulomas with epithelioid cells and giant cells. The lesion responded to a topical steroid. Eight cases of metastatic Crohn's disease involving the penis are briefly reviewed.
Non-healing perianal ulcer: A rare presentation of cutaneous tuberculosis. Ghosh Sudip Kumar,Bandyopadhyay Debabrata,Ghosh Arghyaprasun,Mandal Rajesh Kumar,Bhattacharyya Kumkum,Chatterjee Sumanta Dermatology online journal Perianal tuberculosis is an extremely rare form of tubercular disease. We report here a case of chronic non-healing perianal tubercular ulcer associated with, asymptomatic pulmonary tuberculosis in a 16-year-old boy for its rarity and to emphasize the importance of considering tubercular etiology in the work up of persistent perianal ulcer.
What's your diagnosis? Labial swelling and perianal ulceration. Kress Douglas Journal of pediatric and adolescent gynecology 10.1016/j.jpag.2006.02.009
Anal lesions: any significant prognosis in Crohn's disease? Siproudhis L,Mortaji A,Mary J Y,Juguet F,Bretagne J F,Gosselin M European journal of gastroenterology & hepatology AIM:Work-up of anoperineal lesions usually includes indices of clinical activity as well as diagnostic criteria of Crohn's disease but their prognostic implication remains unclear. This prospective study was conducted in order to evaluate the overall incidence of anoperineal lesions and their relation to the natural history of underlying intestinal Crohn's disease with special reference to the steroid-dependent state of the patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS:One hundred and one patients (46 males, 55 females, aged 34 +/- 14 years; range: 15-79) were consecutively referred to our institution (May 1991 to May 1994) for intestinal symptoms related to Crohn's disease (mean duration 66 +/- 66 months). They all underwent a proctological examination regardless of perineal symptoms. The Cardiff classification was used to describe anoperineal lesions. Patients with anal lesions (64) differed from those without (37): male predisposition (53% vs. 32%, P<0.05), more frequent rectal involvement (75% vs. 24%, P<0.001) and more acute lesions observed at proctoscopic examination (42% vs. 16%, P<0.05). Age of onset, surgical past history of Crohn's disease, colonic or ileal involvement, or Harvey-Bradshaw score were not different between groups. RESULTS:Patients with anal ulceration (43) as compared to patients having anal involvement without ulceration experienced pain more frequently (constant pain: 56 vs. 14%; defecatory pain: 35 vs. 19%) and a more severe evolution of intestinal (40 vs. 22%, P<0.05) and anal (42 vs. 12%, P<0.05) involvement. In those with an aggressive ulceration (U2, 28 patients), daily stool frequency (5.1 +/- 3 vs. 3.6 +/- 2.5, P<0.05) and clinical score (9 +/- 5 vs. 7 +/- 3) were more pronounced. Steroid therapy dependency occurred more frequently in the group with anal ulceration (35 vs. 16% and 40 vs. 17%, respectively, P<0.05). Similar associations were observed for cases of anal involvement (34 vs. 5%, P<0.01) and azathioprine was more frequently required (39 vs. 5%, P<0.01) than in those free of anal lesions. During follow-up, eight other patients required azathioprine (steroid dependence in six) and seven of them had anal lesions at referral. At the endpoint of the study, one out of two patients with anal lesions required azathioprine most often due to steroid dependency of the intestinal involvement (30/64 vs. 4/37, P<0.005). CONCLUSION:Anal ulcerations are a reliable severity index of Crohn's disease in both short- and long-term prognosis but their link to the steroid status of the intestinal disease remains unclear.
AGA technical review on the diagnosis and care of patients with anal fissure. Madoff Robert D,Fleshman James W Gastroenterology 10.1053/gast.2003.50005
Anal skin tags in inflammatory bowel disease: new observations and a clinical review. Bonheur Jennifer L,Braunstein Jared,Korelitz Burton I,Panagopoulos Georgia Inflammatory bowel diseases BACKGROUND:The association between intestinal Crohn's disease (CD) and specific perianal abnormalities called anal skin tags (AST) has been recognized but not well defined. Skin tags have been classified into 2 types: 1) raised, broad, or narrow, single or multiple, soft or firm, and painless, often referred to as "elephant ears"; or 2) edematous, hard, often cyanotic, tender or not, and typically arising from a healed anal fissure, ulcer, or hemorrhoid. The aims of this study were to i) better characterize those skin tags identified by the term "elephant ears" and differentiate them from other types of AST; ii) compare their prevalence in patients with CD and ulcerative colitis (UC); iii) observe the relationship of the skin tags to the location of the primary bowel disease; and iv) to discuss the value of these typical AST in making an early diagnosis of CD. METHODS:Photographs of all AST were taken when present at lower endoscopy in 170 consecutive patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) seen in the private office of the senior investigator and Lenox Hill Hospital. Data was gathered with respect to major differences between the 2 types of AST. The location of the primary bowel disease for these patients was obtained from an extensive IBD computer database and review of details from charts. RESULTS:Specific features of AST were described and served to favor type 1 versus type 2. AST were found more frequently in patients with CD (75.4%) as compared to patients with UC (24.6%), confirming previous observations that they are more diagnostic of CD (P = 0.005). Subset analysis revealed a trend with a greater incidence of AST in patients with colitis (46.9%) as compared to patients with ileitis (36.7%) and ileocolitis (16.3%) (P = 0.067). CONCLUSIONS:We provide photographs with the most characteristic features of AST and attempt to separate elephant ears (type 1) from less typical AST (type 2) in CD. Our study confirms previous reports that AST are more commonly found in association with CD as compared with UC and more so in the presence of disease limited to the colon as compared to disease elsewhere in the bowel. Our observations support the diagnostic significance of AST heralding the diagnosis of CD when they are discovered on physical exam, especially in young people with diarrhea, abdominal pain, and/or growth retardation. 10.1002/ibd.20458
Hemorrhoids and anal fissures in inflammatory bowel disease. D'Ugo S,Stasi E,Gaspari A L,Sileri P Minerva gastroenterologica e dietologica Perianal disease is a common complication of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It includes different conditions from more severe and potentially disabling ones, such as abscesses and fistulas, to more benign conditions such as hemorrhoids, skin tags and fissures. Most literature has been focused on anal sepsis and fistulae, as they carry the majority of disease burden and often alter the natural course of the disease. Hemorrhoids and anal fissures in patients with IBD have been overlooked, although they can represent a challenging problem. The management of hemorrhoids and fissures in IBD patients may be difficult and may significantly differ compared to the non-affected population. Historically surgery was firmly obstructed, and hemorrhoidectomy or sphincterotomy in patients with associated diagnosis of IBD was considered harmful, although literature data is scant and based on small series. Various authors reported an incidence of postoperative complications higher in IBD than in the general populations, with potential severe events. Considering that a spontaneous healing is possible, the first line management should be a medical therapy. In patients non-responding to conservative measures it is possible a judicious choice of surgical options on a highly selective basis; this can lead to acceptable results, but the risk of possible complications needs to be considered. In this review it is analyzed the current literature on the incidence, symptoms and treatment options of hemorrhoids and anal fissures in patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Perianal Crohn's Disease. Pogacnik Javier Salgado,Salgado Gervasio Clinics in colon and rectal surgery This article provides an overview of the principles in the evaluation and management of perianal Crohn's disease (CD). Manifestation-specific treatment is addressed including abscess, fistula, skin tags, hemorrhoids, fissure, ulcers, strictures, ano-, and rectovaginal fistulas as well CD-associated hidradenitis suppurativa. 10.1055/s-0039-1687834
[Anal fissure]. Fathallah Nadia,Spindler Lucas,Zeitoun Jean-David,De Parades Vincent La Revue du praticien Anal fissure. Anal fissure is a painful proctological disease that most often affects young patients equally in both sexes. It significantly worsens the quality of life and requires rapid care. The anal fissure is most often located in the posterior anal commissure and frequently surmounted by a skin tag which can hide it and wrongly carry the diagnosis of hemorrhoids. Differential diagnoses such as carcinoma, Crohn's disease, sexually transmitted infection, etc. should be mentioned in case of atypical presentation. Its pathophysiology remains controversial, but in most cases, it results from the trauma of the passage of hard stools on an hypertonic anus. Medical treatment can cure just over half of patients. Surgery is reserved for failures of medical treatment and hyperalgesic fissure. In France, fissurectomy is the most commonly performed procedure while on the other side of the Channel or the Atlantic, lateral internal sphincterotomy is considered as the reference technique.
Improving the outcome of fistulising Crohn's disease. Molendijk Ilse,Peeters Koen C M J,Baeten Coen I M,Veenendaal Roeland A,van der Meulen-de Jong Andrea E Best practice & research. Clinical gastroenterology Fistulas are a frequent manifestation of Crohn's disease (CD) and can result in considerable morbidity. Approximately 35% of all patients with CD will experience one fistula episode during their disease course of which 54% is perianal. The major symptoms of patients with perianal fistulas are constant anal pain, the formation of painful swellings around the anus and continuous discharge of pus and/or blood from the external fistula opening. The exact aetiology of perianal fistulas in CD patients remains unclear, but it is thought that a penetrating ulcer in the rectal mucosa caused by active CD forms an abnormal passage between the epithelial lining of the rectum and the perianal skin. Genetic, microbiological and immunological factors seem to play important roles in this process. Although the incidence of perianal fistulas in patients with CD is quite high, an effective treatment is not yet discovered. In this review all available medical and surgical therapies are discussed and new treatment options and research targets will be highlighted. 10.1016/j.bpg.2014.04.011
Anorectal Crohn's disease. Lewis Robert T,Maron David J The Surgical clinics of North America Crohn's disease manifests with perianal or rectal symptoms in approximately one-third of patients, and is associated with a more aggressive natural history. Due to the chronic relapsing nature of the disease, surgery has been traditionally avoided. However, combined medical and surgical intervention when treating perianal fistulae has been shown to offer the best chance for success. Endoanal ultrasound examination or pelvic magnetic resonance imaging should be done in conjunction with an examination under anesthesia to characterize the disease. Any abscess should be drained and setons placed if there is active rectal inflammation or complex fistulae. Antibiotics and immunosuppressive therapy (especially with infliximab) should also be initiated. Simple fistulae can be treated surgically by fistulotomy or anal fistula plug. Complex fistulae can be closed with either an anal fistula plug or covered with flaps. Up to 20% of patients anorectal Crohn's disease require proctectomy for persistent and disabling disease. 10.1016/j.suc.2009.09.004
Time Trends, Clinical Characteristics, and Risk Factors of Chronic Anal Fissure Among a National Cohort of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Malaty Hoda M,Sansgiry Shubhada,Artinyan Avo,Hou Jason K Digestive diseases and sciences BACKGROUND:Chronic anal fissure (CAF) is a common problem that causes significant morbidity. Little is known about the risk factors of CAF among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). AIM:To study the clinical characteristics and prevalence of CAF among a cohort of IBD patients. METHODS:We performed a population-based study on IBD patients from the National Veterans Affairs administrative datasets from 1998 to 2011. IBD and AF were identified by ICD-9 diagnosis codes. RESULTS:We identified 60,376 patients with IBD between the ages of 18-90 years, 94% males, 59% diagnosed with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 88% were Caucasians. The overall prevalence of CAF was 4% for both males and females. African Americans (AA) were two times more likely to have CAF compared to Caucasians (8 vs. 4%; OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.6-20.2, p = 0.0001) or Hispanics (8 vs. 4.8%; OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.4-25.2, p = 0.0001). The prevalence of CAF significantly dropped with age from 7% at age group 20-50 to 1.5% at 60-90 (p = 0.0001). CD patients were two times more likely to have CAF than UC patients (6 vs. 3%; OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.5-18.2, p = 0.0001). The initial diagnosis of CAF occurred within 14 years after the initial diagnosis of IBD in 74.5% patients. CONCLUSIONS:CAF is more prevalent among IBD than what is reported in the general population and diagnosed after the diagnosis of IBD. CAF is more prevalent among patients with CD, younger patients, and AA. The current results lay the groundwork for further outcome studies relate to anal fissure such as utilization, hospitalization, and cost. 10.1007/s10620-015-3930-3
Diagnosis and treatment of perianal Crohn disease: NASPGHAN clinical report and consensus statement. de Zoeten Edwin F,Pasternak Brad A,Mattei Peter,Kramer Robert E,Kader Howard A Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that includes both Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis. Abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, diarrhea, and weight loss characterize both CD and ulcerative colitis. The incidence of IBD in the United States is 70 to 150 cases per 100,000 individuals and, as with other autoimmune diseases, is on the rise. CD can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus and frequently will include perianal disease. The first description connecting regional enteritis with perianal disease was by Bissell et al in 1934, and since that time perianal disease has become a recognized entity and an important consideration in the diagnosis and treatment of CD. Perianal Crohn disease (PCD) is defined as inflammation at or near the anus, including tags, fissures, fistulae, abscesses, or stenosis. The symptoms of PCD include pain, itching, bleeding, purulent discharge, and incontinence of stool. In this report, we review and discuss the etiology, diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of PCD. 10.1097/MPG.0b013e3182a025ee
Long-term outcome of non-fistulizing (ulcers, stricture) perianal Crohn's disease in patients treated with infliximab. Bouguen G,Trouilloud I,Siproudhis L,Oussalah A,Bigard M-A,Bretagne J-F,Peyrin-Biroulet L Alimentary pharmacology & therapeutics BACKGROUND:In Crohn's disease, anal ulcers and stricture can be disabling. AIM:To evaluate long-term outcome of non-fistulizing perianal Crohn's disease under infliximab. METHODS:The medical records of 99 patients with non-fistulizing perianal Crohn's disease at first infliximab infusion were reviewed. Complete responses (ulcer healing or stricture regression) after induction infliximab therapy and at the maximal follow-up were assessed. RESULTS:Ninety-four patients (94.9%) had ulcers, 22 (22.2%) had stricture and 31 (31.3%) had draining perianal fistulas at first infliximab infusion. After infliximab induction therapy, 40/94 (42.5%) patients with ulcers, 4/22 (18.2%) with stricture and 10/31 (32.2%) with fistulas had a complete response. Eight patients were lost to follow-up. After a median follow-up of 175 weeks (range, 13-459), complete response rates for ulcers, stricture and fistulas were 72.3% (68/94), 54.5% (12/22) and 54.8% (20/31) respectively. Long-term response for cavitating ulcer was positively associated with concomitant immunosuppressant use (P = 0.017) and older age (P = 0.049). Among the 12 patients with complete regression of stricture, 6 patients also had anal dilatation. Complete response was associated with perianal pain relief and disappearance of soiling. Three patients with ulcers developed an anal abscess. CONCLUSIONS:Infliximab therapy may be effective in inducing and maintaining response for ulcers. 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2009.04089.x
Elaboration and validation of Crohn's disease anoperineal lesions consensual definitions. Horaist Clémence,de Parades Vincent,Abramowitz Laurent,Benfredj Paul,Bonnaud Guillaume,Bouchard Dominique,Fathallah Nadia,Sénéjoux Agnès,Siproudhis Laurent,Staumont Ghislain,Viguier Manuelle,Marteau Philippe World journal of gastroenterology AIM:To establish consensual definitions of anoperineal lesions of Crohn's (APLOC) disease and assess interobserver agreement on their diagnosis between experts. METHODS:A database of digitally recorded pictures of APLOC was examined by a coordinating group who selected two series of 20 pictures illustrating the various aspects of APLOC. A reading group comprised: eight experts from the Société Nationale Française de Colo Proctologie group of study and research in proctology and one academic dermatologist. All members of the coordinating and reading groups participated in dedicated meetings. The coordinating group initially conducted a literature review to analyse verbatim descriptions used to evaluate APLOC. The study included two phases: establishment of consensual definitions using a formal consensus method and later assessment of interobserver agreement on the diagnosis of APLOC using photos of APLOC, a standardised questionnaire and Fleiss's kappa test or descriptive statistics. RESULTS:Terms used in literature to evaluate visible APLOC did not include precise definitions or reference to definitions. Most of the expert reports on the first set of photos agreed with the main diagnosis but their verbatim reporting contained substantial variation. The definitions of ulceration (entity, depth, extension), anal skin tags (entity, inflammatory activity, ulcerated aspect), fistula (complexity, quality of drainage, inflammatory activity of external openings), perianal skin lesions (abscess, papules, edema, erythema) and anoperineal scars were validated. For fistulae, they decided to follow the American Gastroenterology Association's guidelines definitions. The diagnosis of ulceration (κ = 0.70), fistulae (κ = 0.75), inflammatory activity of external fistula openings (86.6% agreement), abscesses (84.6% agreement) and erythema (100% agreement) achieved a substantial degree of interobserver reproducibility. CONCLUSION:This study constructed consensual definitions of APLOC and their characteristics and showed that experts have a fair level of interobserver agreement when using most of the definitions. 10.3748/wjg.v23.i29.5371
Anal ulcerations in Crohn's disease: Natural history in the era of biological therapy. Wallenhorst Timothée,Brochard Charlène,Le Balch Eric,Bodere Anaïs,Garros Aurélien,Merlini-l'Heritier Alexandre,Bouguen Guillaume,Siproudhis Laurent Digestive and liver disease : official journal of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology and the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver BACKGROUND:The natural history of anal ulcerations in Crohn's disease remains unknown. AIMS:To assess the long-term outcomes of anorectal ulcerations. METHODS:Data from consecutive patients with perineal Crohn's disease were prospectively recorded. The data of patients with anal ulceration were extracted. RESULTS:Anal ulcerations were observed in 154 of 282 patients (54.6%), and 77 cases involved cavitating ulcerations. The cumulative healing rates were 47%, 70% and 82% at 1, 2 and 3 years, respectively. Patients with a primary fistula phenotype had a shorter median time to healing of their anal ulceration (28 [13-83] weeks) than those with a stricture (81 [28-135] weeks) or those with isolated ulceration (74 [31-181] weeks) (p=0.004). Among patients with ulcerations but no fistula at referral (n=67), only 4 (6%) developed de novo abscesses and/or fistula during follow-up. There was no benefit associated with introducing or optimising biologics, nor with combining immunosuppressants and biologics. CONCLUSION:Anal ulceration in Crohn's disease usually requires a long time to achieve sustained healing. Determining the impact of biologics on healing rates will require dedicated randomised trials although it does not show a significant healing benefit in the present study. 10.1016/j.dld.2017.07.014
Crohn's disease: is there any link between anal and luminal phenotypes? Wallenhorst Timothée,Brochard Charlène,Bretagne Jean-François,Bouguen Guillaume,Siproudhis Laurent International journal of colorectal disease PURPOSE:Perianal Crohn's disease (CD) encompasses a variety of lesion similar to luminal disease, which are usually not distinctly assessed. Links between luminal and perianal CD phenotype remains therefore underreported, and we aimed to describe both luminal and perianal phenotype and their relationships. METHODS:From January 2007, clinical data of all consecutive patients with CD seen in a referral center were prospectively recorded. Data recorded until October 2011 were extracted and reviewed for study proposal. RESULTS:A total of 282 patients (M/F, 108/174; aged 37.8 ± 16.2 years) were assessed that included 154 cases (54.6%) with anal ulceration, 118 cases (41.8%) with fistula, 49 cases (17.4%) with stricture, and 94 cases without anal lesion (33.3%). Anal ulcerations were associated with fistulas (N = 87/154) in more than half of patients (56.5%) and were isolated in 55 patients (35.7%). Most of strictures (94%) were associated with other lesions (N = 46/49). Harvey-Bradshaw score was significantly higher in patients with ulcerations (p < 0.001) as compared to those with perianal fistulas (p = 0.15) or with anal strictures (p = 0.16). Proportions of complicated behavior (fistulizing or stricturing) of luminal CD were similar according to anal lesions: anal fistulas were not significantly associated to penetrating Montreal phenotype (N = 4/31 p = 0.13) as well as anal stricture and stricturing Montreal phenotype (N = 3/49, p = 0.53). CONCLUSIONS:The phenotype of luminal disease does not link with the occurrence and the phenotype of perianal Crohn's disease. Anal ulcerations denote a more severe disease on both luminal and perianal locations and should consequently be taking into account in physician decision-making. 10.1007/s00384-015-2390-8