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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Bowel ultrasound measurements in healthy children - systematic review and meta-analysis
Elsa A van Wassenaer1, Floris A E de Voogd2, Rick R van Rijn3
1Pediatric Gastroenterology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. e.a.vanwassenaer@amsterdamumc.nl.
Insights
Ultrasound (US) assessment of bowel wall thickness in healthy children shows upper limits of 1.9 mm. Mean thickness slightly increases with age, providing crucial reference values for pediatric bowel pathology screening.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Radiology
- Gastroenterology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Ultrasound (US) is a noninvasive tool for evaluating pediatric bowel pathology, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
- Establishing normal bowel wall thickness in children is essential for accurate interpretation of US findings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the normal bowel wall thickness in various segments of the bowel in healthy children.
- To analyze age-related variations in bowel wall thickness across different pediatric age groups.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was performed across major medical databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL).
- Studies measuring transabdominal US bowel wall thickness in healthy children were included; contrast-enhanced studies were excluded.
- Pooled mean and standard deviation were calculated, with age group comparisons using ANOVA and t-tests.
Main Results:
- Seven studies were included from 191 identified, reporting small bowel thickness from 0.8-1.9 mm and colon thickness from 1.0-1.9 mm.
- A statistically significant increase in mean colonic bowel wall thickness was observed in older children (15-19 years) compared to younger children (0-4 years).
Conclusions:
- The upper limit for normal bowel wall thickness in healthy children is 1.9 mm for both small bowel and colon.
- These established normal ranges serve as valuable reference points for diagnosing pediatric bowel conditions using ultrasound.
Background:
Ultrasound (US) is a noninvasive method of assessing the bowel that can be used to screen for bowel pathology, such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease, in children. Knowledge about US findings of the bowel in healthy children is important for interpreting US results in cases where disease is suspected.
Objective:
To assess the bowel wall thickness in different bowel segments in healthy children and to assess differences in bowel wall thickness among pediatric age categories.
Materials And Methods:
We conducted a systematic search in the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and CINAHL databases for studies describing bowel wall thickness measured by transabdominal US in healthy children. We excluded studies using contrast agent. We calculated the pooled mean and standard deviation scores and assessed differences among age categories (0-4 years, 5-9 years, 10-14 years, 15-18 years), first with analysis of variance (ANOVA) and further with subsequent Student's t-tests for independent samples, corrected for multiple testing.
Results:
We identified 191 studies and included 7 of these studies in the systematic review. Reported bowel wall thickness values ranged from 0.8 mm to 1.9 mm in the small bowel and from 1.0 mm to 1.9 mm in the colon. The mean colonic bowel wall thickness is larger in children ages 15-19 years compared to 0-4 years (range in difference: 0.3-0.5 mm [corrected P<0.02]).
Conclusion:
The reported upper limit of bowel wall thickness in healthy children is 1.9 mm in the small bowel and the colon, and mean thickness increases slightly with age in jejunum and colon. These values can be used as guidance when screening for bowel-related pathology in children.
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