Double-contrast barium enema technique

Progress in the diagnosis of ileocecal lesions

The ileocecal area includes the ileocecal valve, terminal ileum, cecum, appendix, and top ascending colon. Since this area may be affected by pathologic conditions that are either common throughout the gastrointestinal system or exclusive to this area, a great variety of intestinal diseases may arise in this region, making the diagnosis of ileocecal lesions difficult. In clinic, the diagnosis of ileocecal lesions depends on the combination of disease history, clinical features, imaging and endoscopic findings. The development of advanced imaging and endoscopy technology has greatly increased the detection rate of ileocecal lesions. In this review, we discuss the use of imaging and endoscopic examinations for evaluation of ileocecal area to help ensure accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Small-bowel neoplasms: prospective evaluation of MR enteroclysis

PURPOSE

To prospectively evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) enteroclysis in the detection of small-bowel neoplasms in symptomatic patients, with conventional endoscopy, tissue specimen, capsule endoscopy, conventional enteroclysis, and follow-up findings as reference standards.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study protocol was approved by the human research committee, and all patients gave written informed consent. One hundred fifty patients (83 male, 67 female; mean age, 42.6 years; age range, 17-84 years) who were clinically suspected of having small-bowel neoplasm and whose previous upper and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy findings were normal underwent MR enteroclysis. The MR enteroclysis findings were prospectively evaluated for the presence of focal bowel wall thickening, small-bowel masses, and small-bowel stenosis. Positive MR enteroclysis findings were compared with histopathologic examination results obtained after surgical (n = 19) or endoscopic (n = 2) procedures. Negative MR enteroclysis results were compared with the results of enteroscopy (n = 5), capsule endoscopy (n = 53), or conventional enteroclysis with subsequent clinical follow-up (n = 71). The diagnostic performance of MR enteroclysis was analyzed on a per-patient basis.

RESULTS

MR enteroclysis was successfully completed in all 150 patients and enabled correct detection of 19 small-bowel neoplasms, which were confirmed at histopathologic examination: three carcinoid neoplasms, two adenocarcinomas, two stromal tumors, five lymphomas, one angiomatous mass, three small-bowel metastases, one leiomyoma, one adenoma, and one lipoma. Overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in identifying patients with small-bowel lesions were 86% (19 of 22), 98% (126 of 128), and 97% (145 of 150), respectively. Two MR enteroclysis examinations yielded false-positive findings, and three yielded false-negative findings.

CONCLUSION

MR enteroclysis is an accurate modality for detecting small-bowel neoplasms in symptomatic patients.

Inflammatory chronic disease of the colon: how to image

Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn's disease and UC, is a chronic disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. The inflammatory process in UC is confined to the mucosa and submucosa and it involves only the colon. In contrast, in Crohn's disease the inflammation process extends through the bowel wall layers and it can involve any part of gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, inflammatory bowel disease of the colon may be associated with complications, such as toxic megacolon, fulminant colitis, acute bleeding, fistulas and abscesses. Radiographic imaging studies are useful for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, and may be used to assess the extent and severity of disease, rule out complications, and monitor the response to therapy. The double-contrast barium study is a valuable technique for diagnosing inflammatory bowel disease colonic alterations, even in patients with early mucosal abnormalities. The earliest finding of UC is characterized by a fine granular appeareance of the colonic mucosa, usually involving the rectosigmoid junction. In chronic UC double-contrast enema may reveal marked colonic shortening with tubular narrowing of the bowel and loss of haustration. The earliest radiographics findings of Crohn's disease are represented by aphthous ulcers. As disease progresses, aphthous ulcers may enlarge and coalesce to form stellate or linear areas of ulceration. In advanced Crohn's disease, transmural ulceration may lead to the development of fissures, sinus tracts, fistulas, and abscesses. Cross sectional studies such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and sometimes ultrasound, are useful alternative tools not only in the assessment of bowel wall abnormalities, but also for the assessment of extraluminal alterations in patients with advanced disease.

Assessment of Crohn's disease in the small bowel: Prospective comparison of magnetic resonance enteroclysis with conventional enteroclysis

Our objective was to assess the diagnostic value of magnetic resonance enteroclysis (MRE) compared with conventional enteroclysis (CE) in patients with Crohn's disease. A secondary objective was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of each different MR sequence. Sixty-six consecutive patients with known Crohn's disease underwent MRE and CE. Fast imaging employing steady-state acquisition (FIESTA), single-shot fast spin-echo (ssFSE), and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted sequences were assessed by two radiologists who reached a consensus about the following findings: visualization of wall ulcers, pseudopolyps, fistulae, mural stenosis, and mesenteric abnormalities. Standard descriptive statistics and the McNemar test were used. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of MRE were 90-87% and 83% for the depiction of parietal ulcers, 84%-88% and 86% for pseudopolyps, 100-94% and 96% for mural stenosis, 93-100% and 94% for fistulae. The number of detected extraluminal findings was significantly higher with MRE (P < 0.01). The accuracy of FIESTA sequence was statistically higher in the depiction of wall ulcers and fistulae than that of three-dimensional fast spoiled gradient echo (3D-FSPGR) (P < 0.01) and ssFSE (P < 0.05) sequences. Contrast-enhanced 3D-FSPGR was superior for mural stenosis visualization compared to ssFSE (P < 0.05) and FIESTA (P < 0.05). MRE correlates accurately with CE in the detection of superficial and transmural abnormalities and has the advantage of assessing the mesenteric manifestations.

Modern imaging using computer tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) AU1

Radiologic imaging--especially of the small bowel--plays an important role in the diagnosis and management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The radiographic examination of the small intestine with barium either as enteroclysis or as small bowel follow through are still the mainstays in small bowel imaging. However, abdominal CT or MRI, which has the advantage of not utilizing ionizing radiation, or the techniques of CT- or MR-enteroclysis, are overall comparable with regard to the sensitivity and specificity in detecting intestinal pathologies and have already replaced the conventional techniques in centers dedicated to the management of inflammatory bowel disease. Additionally, these cross-sectional imaging techniques provide, in a sense, a "one stop abdominal imaging workup," the diagnosis of extraluminal disease manifestations or complications. Future developments of CT- or MR-based virtual colonography and endoscopy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease are currently being investigated, but should momentarily be considered as purely experimental approaches.