[The usefulness of MDCT in Crohn's disease]

The usefulness of multidetector-row CT (MDCT) was investigated in 27 patients with Crohn's disease. MDCT depicted characteristic lesions associated with Crohn's disease, including bowel wall thickening, strictures, bowel wall enhancement with contrast, opacity of fatty tissue and mesenteric lymph node enlargement. With respect to delineation of lesion sites, a 76% or higher correlation rate was observed between MDCT and other conventional diagnostic procedures such as colonoscopy, barium enema, small bowel examination, and gastrointestinal endoscopy. The patient were classified as either with active disease or in remission based on the Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI). We then compared MDCT findings in patients with active disease and in remission. A positive correlation (r = 0.70) between CDAI and bowel wall thickening was observed. A comparison of 13 patients with active disease versus 14 patients in remission revealed significant bowel wall thickening, mesenteric lymph node enlargement, and opacity of fatty tissue. MDCT accurately depicted lesions consistent with active Crohn's disease. MDCT is a minimally invasive procedure that is useful in the evaluation of acute active Crohn's disease.