Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Inflammatory activity in Crohn’s disease: CE-US

  • Published:
Abdominal Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The evaluation of inflammatory activity in Crohn’s disease (CD), a crucial aspect of treatment planning and monitoring, is currently based on a sum of clinical data and imaging findings. Among the contrast enhanced cross-sectional imaging techniques (CE-US, CE-CT, CE-MR), CE-US is less invasive, more comfortable for the patient, and has significant diagnostic accuracy. In addition, it is a portable, easily repeatable, well tolerated, and ionizing radiation-free imaging modality. CE-US has been introduced as effective method in the quantitative and qualitative evaluation of CD inflammatory activity. CE-US might help in characterizing bowel-wall thickening by differentiating inflammatory neovascularisation, edema, and fibrosis. The recent chance to evaluate the bowel-wall stiffness by US elastography imaging could allow further assessment of fibrosis that characterizes the evolution of the inflammatory activity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Shanahan F (2002) Crohn’s disease. Lancet 359:62–69

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Válek V, Husty J (2009) Crohn’s disease: clinical-surgical questions and imaging answers. Eur J Radiol 69:375–380

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Satsangi J, Silverberg MS, Vermiere S, et al. (2006) The Montreal classification of inflammatory bowel disease: controversies, consensus, and implications. Gut 55:749–753

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Louis E, Collard A, Oger AF, et al. (2001) Behaviour of Crohn’s disease according to the Vienna classification: changing pattern over the course of the disease. Gut 49:777–782

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Cosnes J, Cattan S, Blain A, et al. (2002) Long-term evolution of disease behavior of Crohn’s disease. Inflamm Bowel Dis 8(4):244–250

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Henriksen M, Jahnsen J, Lygren I, et al. (2007) Clinical course of Crohn’s disease: results of a five-year population-based follow-up study (the IBSEN study). Scand J Gastroenterol 42:602–610

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Helper DJ (2009) Medical management of Crohn’s disease: a guide for radiologists. Eur J Radiol 69(3):371–374 (Epub Feb 14, 2009)

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Sempere GAJ, Martinez Sanjuan V, Medina Chulia E, et al. (2005) MRI evaluation of inflammatory activity in Crohn’s disease. Am J Roentgenol 184:1829–1835

    Google Scholar 

  9. Maccioni F, Bruni A, Viscido A (2005) MR imaging in patients with Crohn disease: value of 2- versus T1-weighted gadolinium-enhanced MR sequences with use of an oral superparamagnetic contrast agent. Radiology 238:517–530

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bodily KD, Fletcher JG, Solem CA (2006) Crohn disease: mural attenuation and thickness at contrast-enhanced CT enterography—correlation with endoscopic and histologic findings of inflammation. Radiology 238:505–516

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Solvig J, Ekberg O, Lindgren S, et al. (1995) Ultrasound examination of the small bowel: comparison with enteroclysis in patients with Crohn disease. Abdom Imaging 20:323–326

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Miao YM, Koh DM, Amin Z, et al. (2002) Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging assessment of active bowel segments in Crohn’s disease. Clin Radiol 57:913–918

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Pradel JA, David XR, Taourel P, et al. (1997) Sonographic assessment of the normal and abnormal bowel wall in nondiverticular ileitis and colitis. Abdom Imaging 2:167–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Quaia E, Migaleddu V, Baratella E, et al. (2009) Eur J Radiol 69(3):438–444

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Migaleddu V, Scanu AM, Quaia E, et al. (2009) Gastroenterology 137(1):43–52

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Migaleddu V, Quaia E, Scano D, Virgilio G (2008) Inflammatory activity in Crohn disease: ultrasound findings. Abdom Imaging 33(5):589–597

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Girlich C, Jung EM, Iesalnieks I, et al. (2009) Quantitative assessment of bowel wall vascularisation in Crohn’s disease with contrast-enhanced ultrasound and perfusion analysis. Clin Hemorheol Microcirc 43(1):141–148

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Adler J, Punglia D, Dillman JR, et al. (2008) CT enterography findings correlate with tissue inflammation but not fibrosis in resected small bowel Crohn’s disease. Gastroenterology 134:A195

    Google Scholar 

  19. Kim K, Johnson LA, Jia C, et al. (2008) Noninvasive ultrasound elasticity imaging (UEI) of Crohn’s disease: animal model. Ultrasound Med Biol 34:902–912

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Adler J, Stidham RW, Higgins PDR (2009) Bringing the inflamed and fibrotic bowel into focus: imaging in inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroenterol Hepatol 5(10)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SMIRG FOUNDATION, Sardinian Mediterranean Imaging Research Group—No Profit Foundation/Diagnostic Imaging Unit, Sassari, Italy

    Vincenzo Migaleddu, Domenico Scanu, Girolamo Campisi, Danilo Sirigu & Giuseppe Virgilio

  2. Department of Radiology, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy

    Emilio Quaia & Michele Bertolotto

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Serra Carla

Authors
  1. Vincenzo Migaleddu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Emilio Quaia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Domenico Scanu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Serra Carla
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Michele Bertolotto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Girolamo Campisi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Danilo Sirigu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Giuseppe Virgilio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Vincenzo Migaleddu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Migaleddu, V., Quaia, E., Scanu, D. et al. Inflammatory activity in Crohn’s disease: CE-US. Abdom Imaging 36, 142–148 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-010-9622-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-010-9622-8

Key words

Search

Navigation