Imaging of pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease

The goal of this review is to examine the current imaging literature and develop basic imaging guidelines for evaluation of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The three following typical clinical scenarios in the imaging evaluation of IBD are considered: patient with an initial diagnosis of suspected IBD, the goals being to determine disease extent and severity and to differentiate Crohn disease from ulcerative colitis; patient with known IBD presenting with new acute symptoms (fever, peritonitis, leukocytosis) requiring urgent evaluation; and patient with known IBD presenting with nonacute symptomatic recurrence (abdominal pain, diarrhea), the goals being to assess the efficacy of the current treatment and to evaluate the possible need for additional medical or surgical intervention.

Imaging of pediatric patients with IBD must balance considerations of diagnostic accuracy against concerns about patient exposure to ionizing radiation and tolerance of the imaging technique. The imaging modality chosen depends on the clinical presentation and expected pathologic finding.