Ultrasonographic assessment of colonic wall in moderate-severe ulcerative colitis: Comparison with endoscopic findings

Background: Bowel ultrasound has been shown to be a useful tool to evaluate patients with inflammatory bowel disease, especially Crohn's disease. However, such data are still scarce in ulcerative colitis patients. Aims: To establish the value of bowel ultrasound in moderate to severe ulcerative colitis patients, and compare these data with endoscopic findings. Patients and methods: Endoscopic, ultrasound and C-reactive protein data from 51 patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis observed during a 3-year period were retrospectively obtained and analysed. Results: All patients displayed pathological thickness (>4 mm) of the colon wall. This value strongly correlated with C-reactive protein values (p = 0.0001) and the endoscopic score (p < 0.0001). Also, a strong correlation (p <0.0001) was found between CRP values and endoscopic score. Conclusions: Bowel ultrasound, in expert hands, may represent a useful adjunctive (or first line) tool for the evaluation of patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis. (C) 2011 Editrice Gastroenterologica ltaliana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.