BACKGROUND: Mucosal healing (MH) has become a perspective treatment target in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Data about the impact of MH on long-term outcome in pediatric patients are still scarce. METHODS: Seventy-six pediatric patients with CD were evaluated retrospectively (2000-2015) in a tertiary care center. Based on MH achievement, they were divided into two groups (MH, N.=17; and No MH, N.=59). The primary endpoint was to assess the association of MH and the need for CD-related hospitalizations or surgery in pediatric patients with CD. RESULTS: The number of hospitalized patients was 24% in the MH group and 42% in the No MH group (P=0.26). The total number of CD-related hospitalizations was not significant between the MH group and the No MH group (5 vs. 41, P=0.15). The time to the first hospitalization was 24 months in MH and 21 months in No MH (P>0.99). About 24% of the patients in the MH group and 39% patients in the No MH group underwent CD-related operation (P=0.39). Time to the first operation was 43 months for MH and 19 months for the No MH group (P=0.13). The follow-up period was 91 months in the MH group and 80 months in the No MH group (P=0.74). The use of infliximab was positively associated with MH (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: MH was not associated with fewer CD-related hospitalizations or operations in pediatric patients with CD during seven years of follow-up.

2nd Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové University Hospital of Hradec Králové Charles University Hradec Králové Czech Republic

Department of Pediatric Surgery and Traumatology Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové University Hospital of Hradec Králové Charles University Hradec Králové Czech Republic

Department of Pediatrics Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové University Hospital of Hradec Králové Charles University Hradec Králové Czech Republic

Hepatogastroenterologie HK s r o Hradec Králové Czech Republic

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