1
|
Mihai VC, Gheorghe L, Rezuș II, Jucan AE, Andronic MC, Gavrilescu O, Dranga M, Andronic AM, Prelipcean CC, Rezuș C, Mihai C. Novelties and Perspectives of Intestinal Ultrasound in the Personalised Management of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases-A Systematic Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2024; 14:812. [PMID: 38667458 PMCID: PMC11049436 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14080812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) affect over 4.9 million individuals worldwide. Colonoscopy (CS) is the gold-standard technique for diagnosis. The remissive-recurrent pattern of evolution raises the need for non-invasive techniques to monitor disease activity. This review aims to present the advantages of intestinal ultrasound (IUS) in managing IBDs. Our search was conducted on the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane (CENTRAL) databases, selecting original studies comparing IUS with other imaging and invasive monitoring methods. Our search yielded 8654 results, of which 107 met the inclusion criteria. Increased bowel wall thickness (BWT) and colour Doppler signal (CDS) are discriminative for disease activity. IUS can predict disease outcomes and detect response to treatment or postoperative recurrence. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and elastography help differentiate fibrotic from inflammatory stenoses. The difficult rectal assessment limits the use of IUS in ulcerative colitis (UC). Transmural healing may develop as a therapeutic target as it is associated with better outcomes. Patients are compliant with this technique, and its results correlate well with CS and other imaging methods. In conclusion, IUS proves to be essential in assessing IBD activity and treatment response, predicting outcomes and detecting complications. CEUS and elastography are researched to improve the diagnostic values of IUS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vasile-Claudiu Mihai
- Department of Radiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, 700115 Iasi, Romania
- Radiology Clinic, “St. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bulevardul Independentei 1, 700111 Iasi, Romania
| | - Liliana Gheorghe
- Department of Radiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, 700115 Iasi, Romania
- Radiology Clinic, “St. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bulevardul Independentei 1, 700111 Iasi, Romania
| | - Ioana-Irina Rezuș
- Department of Radiology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, 700115 Iasi, Romania
- Radiology Clinic, “St. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bulevardul Independentei 1, 700111 Iasi, Romania
| | - Alina Ecaterina Jucan
- Discipline of Gastroenterology, Medical Department I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, 700115 Iasi, Romania; (A.E.J.); (M.-C.A.); (O.G.); (M.D.); (C.M.)
- Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, “St. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bulevardul Independentei 1, 700111 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Mihaela-Cristiana Andronic
- Discipline of Gastroenterology, Medical Department I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, 700115 Iasi, Romania; (A.E.J.); (M.-C.A.); (O.G.); (M.D.); (C.M.)
- Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, “St. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bulevardul Independentei 1, 700111 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Otilia Gavrilescu
- Discipline of Gastroenterology, Medical Department I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, 700115 Iasi, Romania; (A.E.J.); (M.-C.A.); (O.G.); (M.D.); (C.M.)
- Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, “St. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bulevardul Independentei 1, 700111 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Mihaela Dranga
- Discipline of Gastroenterology, Medical Department I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, 700115 Iasi, Romania; (A.E.J.); (M.-C.A.); (O.G.); (M.D.); (C.M.)
- Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, “St. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bulevardul Independentei 1, 700111 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Andrei-Mihai Andronic
- Discipline of Medical Semiology, Medical Department I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, 700115 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Cristina Cijevschi Prelipcean
- Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, “St. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bulevardul Independentei 1, 700111 Iasi, Romania;
| | - Ciprian Rezuș
- Discipline of Internal Medicine, Medical Department I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, 700115 Iasi, Romania;
- 3rd Internal Medicine Clinic, “Sf. Spiridon” Emergency County Hospital, Bulevardul Independentei 1, 700111 Iasi, Romania
| | - Cătălina Mihai
- Discipline of Gastroenterology, Medical Department I, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Grigore T. Popa”, 700115 Iasi, Romania; (A.E.J.); (M.-C.A.); (O.G.); (M.D.); (C.M.)
- Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, “St. Spiridon” County Clinical Emergency Hospital, Bulevardul Independentei 1, 700111 Iasi, Romania;
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tagliamonte G, Santagata F, Fraquelli M. Current Developments and Role of Intestinal Ultrasound including the Advent of AI. Diagnostics (Basel) 2024; 14:759. [PMID: 38611672 PMCID: PMC11011653 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14070759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Intestinal ultrasound is a non-invasive, safe, and cost-effective technique to study the small and large intestines. In addition to conventional B-mode and color doppler imaging, new US tools have been developed in more recent years that provide auxiliary data on many GI conditions, improving the diagnosis and assessment of relevant outcomes. We have reviewed the more recent literature (from 2010 onwards) on auxiliary tools in bowel ultrasound such as elastography techniques, CEUS, SICUS, and the potential contribution by artificial intelligence (AI) to overcome current intestinal ultrasound limitations. For this scoping review, we performed an extensive literature search on PubMed and EMBASE to identify studies published until December 2023 and investigating the application of elastography techniques, CEUS, SICUS, and AI in the ultrasonographic assessment of the small and large intestines. Multiparametric intestinal ultrasound shows promising capabilities in Crohn's disease, while less is known about the role in ulcerative colitis. Despite some evidence, the CEUS role as a point-of-care examination tool for rare conditions such as intestinal GvHD and ischemic small bowel disease seems promising, possibly avoiding the need to perform further cross-sectional imaging. The use of AI in intestinal ultrasound is still anecdotical and limited to acute appendicitis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gennaro Tagliamonte
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy; (G.T.); (F.S.)
| | - Fabrizio Santagata
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy; (G.T.); (F.S.)
| | - Mirella Fraquelli
- Division of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kapoor A, Singh A, Kapur A, Mahajan G, Sharma S. Use of shear wave imaging with intestinal ultrasonography in patients with chronic diarrhea. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ULTRASOUND : JCU 2024; 52:163-175. [PMID: 37997499 DOI: 10.1002/jcu.23594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A retrospective study was designed to determine the role of shear wave elastography (SWE) and intestinal ultrasonography to differentiate between inflammatory and fibrotic bowel strictures by determining Young's modulus (E) and shear wave dispersion (SWD) and to compare its role with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in patients with chronic diarrhea and pain abdomen. METHODS Seventy-six patients who had increased small bowel thickness (SBWT) >3 mm, and large bowel wall thickness (LBWT) >4 mm on intestinal ultrasonography (IUS) were evaluated in a two-step manner. The first step involved classifying patients with increased SBWT >3 mm and LBWT >4 mm by use of SWE and dispersion into three groups that is group I (fibrotic), group II (inflammatory) thickening, and group III (mixed-fibrosis and inflammatory) wall thickening. In the second step, etiological classification was done using six gray scale features of IUS that is length and degree of bowel thickening, presence of bowel stratification, Limberg grade of vascularity, status of mesenteric fat, juxta bowel status-nodes, fluid, and fistula formation to reach to a definitive diagnosis. These findings were compared with findings on CECT. Twenty-three patients had diagnosis confirmed by biopsy while 18 underwent surgery with histologic confirmation of operative findings. The sensitivity, specificity and AUROC for both modalities were compared. RESULTS Group I that is fibrotic group had 33 patients with fibrotic strictures of which fibrotic Crohn's disease (CD)and tuberculosis of the bowel were the dominant types followed by neoplastic and infective causes. In Group II that is inflammatory there were 32 patients with predominantly infective ileo-colitis, and ulcerative colitis patients while 11 patients were present in group III that is (mixed fibrotic and inflammatory) type of bowel wall thickening and were patients of inflammatory CD, infective ileo-colitis. The presence of length of bowel involvement, Limberg grade, mesenteric fat proliferation, and SBWT>9 mm were the statistically significant parameters on IUS which helped to reach to final diagnosis. The sensitivity and specificity of combined SWE with SWD and IUS were 100% and 99% while that of CECT was 78% and 96% respectively with AUROC of 100% and 64%. CONCLUSION SWI combined with IUS in a two-step manner is an accurate way to evaluate patients with chronic diarrhea who have increased SBWT and is not only able to differentiate inflammatory from fibrotic bowel wall thickening but also helps to form an etiological diagnosis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Atul Kapoor
- Department of Radiology, Advanced Diagnostics and Institute of Imaging, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| | - Anil Singh
- Department of Gastroenterology, North central Institute of Gastroenterology, Pathankot, Punjab, India
| | - Aprajita Kapur
- Department of Radiology, Advanced Diagnostics and Institute of Imaging, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| | - Goldaa Mahajan
- Department of Radiology, Advanced Diagnostics and Institute of Imaging, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| | - Shalinder Sharma
- Department of Radiology, Advanced Diagnostics and Institute of Imaging, Amritsar, Punjab, India
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Paratore M, Garcovich M, Ainora ME, Del Vecchio LE, Cuccia G, Riccardi L, Pompili M, Gasbarrini A, Zocco MA. The Role of Transabdominal Ultrasound Elastography in Gastrointestinal Non-Liver Diseases: Current Application and Future Prospectives. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:2266. [PMID: 37443663 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13132266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Ultrasound imaging is the first-line investigation for patients with abdominal symptoms, as it effectively depicts the gastrointestinal tract and enables the diagnosis of multiple pathological conditions. Among different recent ultrasound technological advancements, elastography enables the evaluation of various tissue characteristics, such as neoplastic transformation or fibroinflammatory status. In recent years, ultrasound elastography has been utilized extensively for the study of liver diseases and in numerous other clinical settings, including gastrointestinal diseases. Current guidelines suggest the use of transabdominal ultrasound elastography to characterize bowel wall lesions, to assess gastrointestinal contractility, to diagnose and grade chronic pancreatitis; however, no specific indications are provided. In the present paper, we summarize the evidence concerning the application of different ultrasound elastography modalities in gastrointestinal non-liver diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Paratore
- Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Garcovich
- Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Elena Ainora
- Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Livio Enrico Del Vecchio
- Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Cuccia
- Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Riccardi
- Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Maurizio Pompili
- Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Medicina Interna e del Trapianto di Fegato, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Gasbarrini
- Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Maria Assunta Zocco
- Medicina Interna e Gastroenterologia, CEMAD Digestive Disease Center, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo A. Gemelli 8, 00168 Rome, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Intestinal Elastography in the Diagnostics of Ulcerative Colitis: A Narrative Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2022; 12:diagnostics12092070. [PMID: 36140472 PMCID: PMC9497506 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics12092070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that mainly affects developed countries, but the number of cases in developing countries is increasing. We conducted a narrative review on the potential application of ultrasound elastography in the diagnosis and monitoring of UC, as this newly emerging method has promising results in other gut diseases. This review fulfilled the PRISMA Statement criteria with a time cut-off of June 2022. At the end of the review, of the 1334 identified studies, only five fulfilled all the inclusion criteria. Due to the small number of studies in this field, a reliable assessment of the usefulness of ultrasound elastography is difficult. We can only conclude that the transabdominal elastography examination did not significantly differ from the standard gastrointestinal ultrasonography examination and that measurements of the frontal intestinal wall should be made in the longitudinal section. The reports suggest that it is impossible to estimate the clinical scales used in disease assessment solely on the basis of elastographic measurements. Due to the different inclusion criteria, measurement methodologies, and elastographic techniques used in the analysed studies, a reliable comparative evaluation was impossible. Further work is required to assess the validity of expanding gastrointestinal ultrasonography with elastography in the diagnosis and monitoring of UC.
Collapse
|