As part of a large, controlled, prospective study to correlate genetic markers with clinical phenotypes, tumor necrosis factor microsatellite alleles at five loci (a, b, c, d, and e) were determined from genomic DNA by polymerase chain reaction in 32 patients with a clinical and histopathologic diagnosis of ulcerative colitis who underwent ileal pouch-anal anastomosis for medically unresponsive disease.
A total of 57 consecutive Crohn's disease patients with bowel resection and anastomosis followed by prophylactic treatment with anti-TNF were included; 21 [37%] and 24 [42%] patients had a previous exposure to one and more than one anti-TNF agents, respectively; 39 patients [68%] had a surveillance colonoscopy.
The tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), myeloperoxidase (MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured in the tissues taken from the anastomosis line.