Diagnostic accuracy of small intestine ultrasonography using an oral contrast agent in Crohn’s disease: Comparative study from the UK

Temporal trends in imaging and associated radiation exposure in inflammatory bowel disease

“…The estimated radiation dose may have been greater or less than true exposure as standardised published doses were used. This study was conducted at a single centre and as such may not reflect wider practice; in particular, our centre has an interest in the use of white cell scans and small bowel ultrasound , both of which may have impacted on total radiation exposure. Although the centre functions as a tertiary centre, an attempt was made to reflect practice in secondary centres by selecting only those patients referred directly from primary care, but we accept this remains a potential bias.…”

Diagnostic imaging and radiation exposure in inflammatory bowel disease

“…The sensitivity and specificity of SICUS for the detection of active small bowel CD was 93% and 99% respectively, with a positive predictive value of 98% and a negative predictive value of 95%. furthermore, there was substantial agreement between SICUS and histology obtained at ileocolonoscopy or surgery (k = 0.62) [50] . SICUS may also have a role to play in the preoperative assessment of CD.…”

“…Both conventional US and SICUS had a higher diagnostic accuracy than SBE in detecting fistulas, using intra-operative findings as the gold standard [49] . More recently, a United Kingdom-based study of 143 patients with suspected or known CD, found SICUS to have a similar diagnostic yield compared to SBfT and CT (k coefficient 0.88 and 0.91 respectively) for the detection of features of small bowel CD in routine clinical practice [50] . The sensitivity and specificity of SICUS for the detection of active small bowel CD was 93% and 99% respectively, with a positive predictive value of 98% and a negative predictive value of 95%.…”

“…Power Doppler US allows assessment of bowel wall vascularity, which has been shown to correlate well with disease activity in CD [54] . It can also aid in distinguishing between inflammatory and fibrotic stenosis [50] . Overall, SICUS has emerged as an accurate, well tolerated, radiation-free imaging tool for the assessment of small bowel CD.…”

Utility of MR enterography and ultrasound for the investigation of small bowel Crohn's disease

“…Qualitative assessment includes identification of particular patterns of enhancement, such as submucosal or transmural enhancement that may reflect disease activity, with low or absent enhancement alternatively suggesting quiescent disease . Furthermore, software may generate time–intensity enhancement curves, providing semiquantitative variables such as maximal enhancement, time‐to‐peak enhancement, and the area under a time–intensity curve . Such analysis is relatively onerous for widespread clinical adoption, but is of significant research interest.…”