ESR Essentials: diagnosis and assessment of treatment response in patients with luminal Crohn’s disease—practice recommendations by the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology
Maira Hameed, Isabelle De Kock, Jaap Stoker, Stuart A. Taylor
Abstract
The European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR) presents an ESR Essentials review article on Crohn's disease (CD) diagnosis and treatment response assessment. The focus is on luminal disease, particularly in the small bowel, and to a lesser degree, the colon. Magnetic Resonance Enterography (MRE) and ultrasound are typically the first-line radiological investigations for known or suspected luminal CD. They are accurate for assessing the entirety of the bowel wall and extra-enteric tissues and are generally well tolerated by patients. CT has utility as well, especially in the acute setting. Disease location, extent, and phenotype should be assessed. Well-validated imaging signs of acute inflammation (active disease) are responsive to therapeutic interventions and include bowel mural thickening and oedema, perimural inflammation, ulceration, and hypervascularity. Other phenotypes (stricturing or penetrating with fistulae and/or abscesses) can coexist, and the predominant disease phenotype should be established. We recommend that radiologists work closely within multidisciplinary teams to optimise imaging selection for individual patients, tailored to the clinical question. Findings should be clearly communicated to best inform management decisions using standardised terminology, and structured reporting of disease status, treatment response categorisation, and any associated complications. KEY POINTS: MR Enterography and intestinal ultrasound are the key imaging modalities for the diagnosis and follow-up of luminal CD, with CT reserved primarily for the acute setting. Inflammation, or active disease, is the hallmark of luminal CD, and there are several validated mural and extramural imaging signs of activity, often coexisting with chronic changes. Changes in the imaging markers of active luminal CD are central to radiologists' judgement of treatment response and should be communicated in a standardised report in addition to any stricturing or penetrating complications.