Patients with Crohn's disease are typically classified into perforator or nonperforator groups. The perforator group includes those who present with acute perforation, fistulas, or abscess formation. The nonperforator group presents with stricture, obstruction, or unresponsiveness to medical therapy. Our purpose was to investigate whether perianal disease constitutes a separate predictor of surgical outcome. The form of presentation was classified as perforator, nonperforator, or perianal disease in 91 patients undergoing 232 operations for Crohn's disease. Those with perforating complications presented with the highest Crohn's Disease Activity Index, followed by those with nonperforating complications, and then the perianal disease group. However, the perianal disease group appeared to have the most rapid rate of recurrence and subsequent surgery, followed next by the perforator, and then the nonperforator group. Recurrence rate and subsequent operation intervals for the perforator group appeared to lengthen when those patients were treated with steroids and/or immunosuppressants, as compared to nonsteroidal and/or antimicrobial agents. Recurrence rate and subsequent operation intervals appeared to lengthen for the nonperforator and perianal disease groups when they were treated with nonsteroidal and/or antimicrobial therapy, as compared to steroids and/or immunosuppressants. Our data indicate that perianal disease, as a form of presentation of Crohn's disease, has independent predictive value, although this is not accurately reflected by the Crohn's Disease Activity Index.