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Multiplanar helical CT enterography in patients with Crohn's disease
V Raptopoulos1, R K Schwartz, M M McNicholas
1Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology
|December 11, 1997
Summary
Helical CT enterography is a valuable tool for diagnosing Crohn's disease complications. Multiplanar imaging enhances diagnostic confidence and assessment of disease extent, often outperforming barium studies.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
- Accurate imaging is crucial for detecting and managing complications.
- Conventional barium studies have limitations in visualizing disease extent and complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and utility of helical CT enterography with multiplanar reformations.
- To assess its effectiveness in identifying complications in Crohn's disease patients.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-two patients with suspected Crohn's disease complications underwent helical CT enterography.
- A large volume of oral contrast material was administered.
- Axial and multiplanar coronal projections were obtained.
- Image interpretation by three observers and comparison with barium studies in 14 patients.
Main Results:
- Helical CT enterography provided optimal bowel opacification in 21/22 patients.
- Multiplanar imaging significantly improved observer confidence in assessing disease extent (p < .01).
- CT enterography findings were comparable or superior to barium studies in most cases.
Conclusions:
- CT enterography is a useful technique for bowel imaging in Crohn's disease.
- Multiplanar imaging enhances confidence in assessing disease presence and extent.
- CT enterography is often superior to conventional barium studies.