Can Radiology Replace Endoscopy in IBD?

David      H. Bruining

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease diagnostic and management algorithms continue to rapidly evolve. This is partly driven by advanced radiologic techniques that provide objective, non-invasive evaluations. The realms of information provided by radiology and endoscopy continue to be intertwined. This has led to the question of whether radiologic applications will continue to expand, and eventually replace endoscopy in inflammatory bowel disease assessments. The likely outcome, however, will not be replacement, but rather imaging tools that complement endoscopic evaluations to provide global disease damage and activity scores.

Keywords: CT enterography, Crohn’s disease, IBD diagnosis, MR enterography, small bowel imaging, Inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, Radiology, ultrasound, assessment methods.