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Ustekinumab (UST) and vedolizumab (VDZ) are biologic therapies for moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease (CD) in patients who failed or had contraindication to anti-TNF treatment.To evaluate ustekinumab efficacy as third-line treatment after swapping from VDZ for failure.We conducted a monocentric, retrospective, observational study where CD patients were followed for 12 months from the beginning of UST therapy. We assessed clinical activity (HBI) and laboratory markers (CRP) at the initiation of UST therapy (T0) and after 2(T2), 6(T6) and 12(T12) months. Endoscopic activity was recorded at T0 and T12. We registered data regarding their clinical history and previous biologic treatments. Steroid-free clinical remission was defined as HBI ≤ 4 without need for steroids. Clinical response was defined as HBI reduction of at least three points or the suspension of steroids.27 CD patients treated with UST after VDZ failure had a minimum follow up of 12 months and were included. All patients had previously been treated with anti-TNF agents. After 12 months, steroid-free clinical remission was evident in 15 (55.5%) patients, 5 (18.5%) had clinical response, while 7 (26%) had suspended for failure or persisted on treatment after optimization.Ustekinumab should be considered as third-line biologic treatment in multi-refractory CD patients.

Background Italy has been one of the most affected countries in the world by COVID-19. There has been increasing concern regarding the impact of COVID‐19 on patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly in patients treated with immunosuppressants or biologics. The aim of our study is to understand the incidence of COVID-19 in a large cohort of patients with IBD. Furthermore, we analyzed possible risk factors for infection and severity of COVID-19. Methods This was an observational study evaluating the impact of COVID-19 on IBD patients in a single tertiary center. A 23 multiple-choice-question anonymous survey was administered to 1200 patients with IBD between March 10th and June 10th 2020. Results 1158 questionnaires were analyzed. The majority of patients had Crohn's disease (CD) (60%) and most of them were in clinical remission. Among the 26 patients (2.2%) who tested positive for COVID-19, only 5 (3CD) were on biological treatment and none required hospitalization. Two patients died and were on treatment with mesalazine only. Of the 1158 patients, 521 were on biological therapy, which was discontinued in 85 (16.3%) and delayed in 195 patients (37.4%). A worsening of IBD symptoms was observed in 200 patients on biological therapy (38.4%). Most of these patients, 189 (94.5%), had stopped or delayed biological treatment, while 11 (5.5%) had continued their therapy regularly (p Conclusions Our data are in line with the current literature and confirm a higher incidence compared to the general population. Biological therapy for IBD seems to not be a risk factor for infection and should not be discontinued in order to avoid IBD relapse.

Background and aims: Capsule endoscopy (CE) is indicated in cases with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB). However, lesions detected by CE are frequently within the reach of conventional upper or lower GI endoscopy. We evaluated the accuracy of CE in the study of OGIB, examining the incidence of CE-detected non-small-bowel lesions (NSBL) missed by conventional endoscopy and studying its impact on patient management.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 2010 CE procedures performed in a tertiary-care center (IBD-Unit Referral Centre in Bologna), comparing the findings on CE to those on prior colonoscopy and upper GI endoscopy performed within 3 months and two weeks of the CE procedure, respectively. We evaluated the impact of CE findings on patient management.Results: CE revealed abnormal findings in 1608 out of 2010 patients. Previously missed NSBLs were revealed on CE in 283 cases. Of these, 265 pre-CE endoscopic reports were found to not conform to reporting guidelines. NSBLs on CE led to management changes in 271 patients.Conclusion: This study confirms the utility of CE in patients with OGIB. However, in a considerable number of cases, CE identified lesions missed by conventional endoscopy, suggesting that a second look prior to CE may be appropriate in some patients.Name of registry and the registration number: The study protocol was approved by the Comitato Etico Indipendente dell’AOU di Bologna (n°173/2017/O/OssN)