In addition to these randomized controlled trials, a body of lower quality evidence does exist relevant to two other important interventions; the use of supplemental enteral nutrition (Morin 1980; Belli 1988; Israel 1995) and the judicious use of surgical interventions in pre-pubertal children with refractory disease (Alperstein 1985; Lipson 1990; McLain 1990). Newer treatments, such as infliximab, are now becoming more widely used and may offer advantages in promoting growth. These effects are as yet unstudied. This review highlights the need for large, multi centre studies of the different treatment options in paediatric Crohn's disease and the importance of standardised measurements of growth, such as height velocity standard deviation scores and height standard deviation scores as outcome measures.
Remission induced by an elemental diet in small bowel Crohn's disease.
Seventeen children with active Crohn's disease of the small intestine were entered into a randomised control trial comparing the efficacy of an elemental diet with that of a high dose steroid regimen. Eight children received an elemental diet (Flexical) through a nasogastric tube for six weeks, followed by reintroduction of food over six weeks during which the Flexical was stopped. Seven children were given intramuscular adrenocorticotrophic hormone followed by oral prednisolone with sulphasalazine. Two children were withdrawn from the trial. The elemental diet was equally effective in inducing an improvement in Lloyd-Still disease activity index, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C reactive protein and albumin concentrations, and body weight as the high dose steroid regimen. Linear growth, assessed from height velocity over six months, was significantly greater in the children receiving an elemental diet.