title: Images of colonic real-time tissue sonoelastography correlate with those of colonoscopy and may predict response to therapy in patients with ulcerative colitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Real-time tissue sonoelastography (EG) is a new non-invasive technique that visualizes differences in tissue strain. We evaluated the usefulness of EG in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) by investigating the association between EG and colonoscopic findings and disease activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-seven UC patients undergoing EG and colonoscopy were invited to enroll. EG findings were classified as normal, homogeneous, random, or hard, and colonoscopic findings as normal, mucosal edema and erosion, punched-out ulcer, and extensive mucosal abrasion. Clinical findings were evaluated using clinical activity index (CAI) scores for each patient at colonoscopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On EG, 10 cases were classified as normal, 11 as homogeneous, 6 as random, and 10 as hard. EG findings showed a significant correlation those of colonoscopy (p < 0.001). Seven of 10 (70%) normal-type patients were in the remission phase, while all 6 random-type patients were in the active phase. Among active-phase patients, 4 of 7 (57%) homogeneous-type patients responded to steroid or leukocytapheresis therapy, while 3 of 6 (50%) random-type patients required treatment with cyclosporine. Three of 10 (30%) hard-type patients required colectomy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this small series, EG findings reflected colonoscopic findings and correlated with disease activity among patients with UC.
authors: Department of Gastroenterology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
authors: Daisuke
authors: D
authors: Ishikawa
authors: Takafumi
authors: T
authors: Ando
authors: Osamu
authors: O
authors: Watanabe
authors: Kazuhiro
authors: K
authors: Ishiguro
authors: Osamu
authors: O
authors: Maeda
authors: Nobuyuki
authors: N
authors: Miyake
authors: Masanao
authors: M
authors: Nakamura
authors: Ryoji
authors: R
authors: Miyahara
authors: Naoki
authors: N
authors: Ohmiya
authors: Yoshiki
authors: Y
authors: Hirooka
authors: Emad M
authors: EM
authors: El-Omar
authors: Hidemi
authors: H
authors: Goto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003113:Colonoscopy; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome