Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Transrectal Drainage of Perirectal Abscess in a Patient with Crohn Disease

Objective: Unusual setting of medical care Background: Crohn disease (CD) is an idiopathic chronic inflammatory disease that can present in the perianal area as perianal CD (pCD), which can present as fistulizing or non-fistulizing. Perirectal abscesses are common complications that are strongly associated with fistula formation. Draining an abscess and not treating the associated fistula leads to a high risk of disease recurrence. An extensive workup is needed to determine the nature and extent of disease and guide the appropriate treatment strategy. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is an important modality for diagnosing CD-associated perianal or perirectal abscesses. It also has been used for treatment as an alternative to conventional surgical and percutaneous drainage techniques because it is minimally invasive and outcomes with it are good. The present report documents the case of a man with a history of CD who was diagnosed with a perirectal abscess that was managed with EUS-guided transrectal drainage. Case Report: A 58-year-old man with a history of CD presented with a 2-week history of chills, body aches, fatigue, and myalgia and a 1-week history of severe perirectal pain with worsening swelling. After a detailed history-taking, physical examination, and diagnostic workup, he was diagnosed with a CD-associated perirectal abscess. The patient and the attending physician decided to proceed with EUS-guided transrectal drainage. Conclusions: Our case provides data regarding use of EUS for treatment of a CD-associated perirectal abscess.