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CT of complicated inflammatory bowel disease in children
Pediatric Radiology
|January 1, 1985
Insights
Computed tomography (CT) scans are essential for diagnosing complications in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease, such as abscesses and fistulae, when the condition extends beyond the bowel.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in children often follows a predictable course.
- Complications outside the bowel lumen require advanced imaging for accurate diagnosis and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the utility of computed tomography (CT) in evaluating complicated pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.
- To define the role of CT in diagnosing extraintestinal manifestations of IBD in children.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical scenarios where CT is indicated in pediatric IBD.
- Analysis of CT findings in diagnosing abscesses, fistulae, and bowel wall thickening.
Main Results:
- CT scans are not routinely needed for most pediatric IBD cases.
- CT is the preferred imaging modality for evaluating extraintestinal complications.
- CT can accurately diagnose and monitor abscesses, detect fistulae, and differentiate bowel wall/mesenteric thickening from abscesses.
Conclusions:
- CT imaging is crucial for the comprehensive evaluation of complicated pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.
- CT provides essential diagnostic information for managing extraintestinal manifestations, improving patient outcomes.
Abstract:
Most children with inflammatory bowel disease do not need a CT scan. However, when the course becomes complicated it often is necessary to evaluate what is happening outside the bowel lumen. CT is the examination of choice for that evaluation. With CT, the presence and extent of an abscess can be diagnosed and followed; fistulae can be detected; bowel wall and mesenteric thickening can generally be differentiated from an abscess.