Imaging of small intestinal Crohn’s disease: comparison between MR enteroclysis and conventional enteroclysis

• DOI: 10.1007/s00330-006-0248-8
• Publication Date: 2006-05-03T12:00:38Z
• Authors: Nicholas C. Gourt...; John Grammatikakis; George Papamastor...; John Koutroumbakis; Panos Prassopoulos; Maria Rousomousta...; Nickolas Papaniko...
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Adolescent; Contrast Media; Middle Aged; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Sensitivity and Specificity; Catheterization; 3. Good health; Radiography; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Crohn Disease; Intestine, Small; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Humans; Female

The purpose of this study was to compare MR enteroclysis (MRE) with conventional enteroclysis (CE) in patients with small intestinal Crohn's disease. Fifty-two consecutive patients with known or suspected Crohn's disease underwent MR and conventional enteroclysis, which was considered the gold standard. Eleven imaging features, classified in three groups, mucosal, transmural and extraintestinal, were subjectively evaluated by two experienced radiologists. MRE and CE were in full agreement in revealing, localizing and estimating the length of all involved segments of the small bowel. The sensitivity of MRE for the detection of superficial ulcers, fold distortion and fold thickening was 40, 30 and 62.5%, respectively. The sensitivity of MRE for the detection of deep ulcers, cobble-stoning pattern, stenosis and prestenostic dilatation was 89.5, 92.3, 100 and 100%, respectively. Additional findings demonstrated on MRE images included fibrofatty proliferation in 15 cases and mesenteric lymphadenopathy in 19 cases. MRE strongly correlates with CE in the detection of individual lesions expressing small intestinal Crohn's disease. It provides additional information from the mesenteries; however, its capability to detect subtle lesions is still inferior to conventional enteroclysis.