Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 9, 2026
Systematic Scoring Analysis for Intestinal Inflammation in a Murine Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis Model
Published on: February 14, 2021
Bowel Wall Thickness Cutoff Value for Assessing Inflammatory Bowel Disease Activity Using Intestinal Ultrasonography
Laura Räisänen1,2,3, Ray Lang3, Michael Couper4
1Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent, and Maternal Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University , Tampere, Finland.
Background And Aims:
Intestinal ultrasonography (IUS) is a noninvasive tool for assessing bowel inflammation. In adults, a bowel wall thickness (BWT) cutoff of 0.30 cm is used to indicate inflammation, but children do not have a widely accepted value. We propose an optimal BWT cutoff value for children.
Methods:
We performed 144 IUS examinations during 2019-2024 in 133 children within 30 days before to 7 days after colonoscopy. Assessed values for the BWT from the terminal ileum to the rectum were paired with colonoscopy findings at each segment (n = 809 pairs). The cutoff value for detecting inflammation was explored with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
Results:
In children ≥6 years old IUS demonstrated excellent accuracy for detecting moderate/severe inflammation (area under the curve [AUC] 0.907) but poor accuracy for mild inflammation (AUC 0.690) or in children <6 years old (AUC, 0.667). The adult cutoff (0.30 cm) missed 32% of inflammation in children. In children ≥6 years old, a BWT cutoff of 0.27 cm detected 85% of moderate/severe and 43% of mild inflammation. Lower cutoff values (0.24 cm) were more optimal for girls and children weighing <40 kg.
Conclusions:
Although IUS is an excellent tool for detecting moderate/severe bowel inflammation, this method showed limited accuracy in children <6 years old. The adult BWT cutoff missed over 30% of bowel inflammation in children. BWT cutoff of 0.27-0.30 cm in boys and 0.23-0.25 cm in girls and/or children <40 kg indicated active gut inflammation.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease III: Diagnostic Studies and Management I-Nutritional Therapy
Diagnostic studies
A colonoscopy is the definitive screening test, distinguishing ulcerative colitis from other colon diseases with similar symptoms. During a colonoscopy test, inflamed mucosa with exudate ulcerations can be observed, and biopsies are taken to determine the histologic characteristics of the...
01:27Inflammatory Bowel Disease I: Ulcerative Colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, encompasses a group of disorders characterized by chronic inflammation or ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract.
Risk Factors
The exact cause of IBD remains unclear, although it is believed to be due to a mix of genetic, environmental, microbial, and immune factors. Genetic factors are significant in determining susceptibility to IBD, with family history being a critical risk factor. Individuals with a first-degree relative who has IBD are at...
01:30Inflammatory Bowel Disease II: Crohn's Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease, commonly known as IBD, refers to a collection of disorders that lead to persistent inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The two types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, which impacts the colon, and Crohn's disease, which can involve any part of the gastrointestinal segment.
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease is a chronic, systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that predominantly affects the gastrointestinal tract. It is marked by...
01:17Chronic Bowel Disorders: Introduction
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The distinctive feature is recurrent abdominal pain associated with altered bowel movements, manifesting as constipation, diarrhea, or fluctuating between both. The...
01:21Inflammatory Bowel Disease V: Surgical Management
Here are some common surgical interventions for IBD:
01:25Assessment of the Rectum and Anus
Rectal Inspection
Begin by inspecting the perianal and anal areas for color, texture, rashes,...