| Theme | Therapeutic strategy for Crohn's disease -- Should mucosal healing be a final goal? | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Radiography for Crohn's disease | |
| Publish Date | 2012/05 | |
| Author | Takayuki Matsumoto | Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University |
| Author | Yuji Maehata | Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University |
| [ Summary ] | With the establishment of new therapeutic strategies, the goal of management for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has become "mucosal healing". While colonoscopy and enteroscopy are valuable for the assessment of mucosal lesions in IBD patients, images obtained by radiographic examination are required for depicting gross or stricturing lesions, and also for evaluating serial changes in intestinal lesions. Small bowel radiography is convenient for evaluating ileal lesions in patients with Crohn's disease. The procedure for small bowel radiography is basically comprised of the singles-contrast method, as well as compression techniques. The diagnostic accuracy of small bowel radiography for minute lesions is improved by means of using double-contrast techniques. We believe that small bowel radiography is a procedure necessary for decision-making in the choice of therapy and for determining therapeutic outcomes in patients with Crohn's disease. | |