Background/aims: The aim of the study was to analyze the annual incidence of laparotomy for Crohn's disease in a defined population in Middle Norway. We also wanted to assess the feasibility of the new Vienna classification of Crohn's disease in this pure surgical material.
Methodology: We conducted a retrospective study of 102 consecutive abdominal operations for Crohn's disease in 74 patients. Age at onset, disease behavior and location were classified according to the recent Vienna classification. The median follow-up after the primary operation was 6.2 years (0.5-25.1 years).
Results: The number of operations increased for every 5-year period: The corresponding annual incidence rates for primary operations from 1975 were 0.2, 1.9, 3.3, 4.7 and 5.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. The Vienna classification divided this purely surgical material into meaningful groups.
Conclusions: The study demonstrated a steady increase in laparotomies for Crohn's disease in our area during the study period.