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Published on: October 16, 2013
Ultrasonographic assessment of colonic wall in moderate-severe ulcerative colitis: comparison with endoscopic
Elisabetta Antonelli1, Vittorio Giuliano, Giovanni Casella
1Gastroenterology and Hepatology Section, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy.
Background:
Bowel ultrasound has been shown to be a useful tool to evaluate patients with inflammatory bowel disease, especially Crohn's disease. However, such data are still scarce in ulcerative colitis patients.
Aims:
To establish the value of bowel ultrasound in moderate to severe ulcerative colitis patients, and compare these data with endoscopic findings.
Patients And Methods:
Endoscopic, ultrasound and C-reactive protein data from 51 patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis observed during a 3-year period were retrospectively obtained and analysed.
Results:
All patients displayed pathological thickness (>4 mm) of the colon wall. This value strongly correlated with C-reactive protein values (p=0.0001) and the endoscopic score (p<0.0001). Also, a strong correlation (p<0.0001) was found between CRP values and endoscopic score.
Conclusions:
Bowel ultrasound, in expert hands, may represent a useful adjunctive (or first line) tool for the evaluation of patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis.
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