Abstract
Inflamatuar bowel disease represent a disease spectrum with protean manifestation and complications. Although as many as half of the patients with inflammatory bowel disease require at least one surgical procedure during their lifetime, the decision to operate is rarely an easy one. Such a decision should be the result of collaboration between the gastroenterologist and the surgeon, assisted by the radiologist and the pathologist. The age and general conditions of the patient, the extent of disease, the duration of disease and prior treatment, as well as any specific complication must be considered in making the decision. Surgical interventions in Crohn’s disease are usually performed in patients who develop complications or have symptoms that are resistant to drug therapy. Surgical treatment is not curative, it is aimed at minimizing the disease. Ulcerative colitis surgery, on the other hand, is examined as an emergency and elective. Once the need for surgical intervention has been established, other factors, specific to the individual, must be considered to choose the most appropriate surgical procedure.