title: Endomicroscopy for assessing mucosal healing in patients with ulcerative colitis.
abstract: The assessment of tissue healing has emerged as an important treatment goal in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. In patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), mucosal healing may represent the ultimate therapeutic goal due to the fact that the inflammation is limited to the mucosal layer. Mucosal and histological healing may indicate a subset of UC patients in long-term clinical, endoscopic and histological remission in whom immunomodulators, biologics, and even aminosalicylates may be withdrawn. Confocal laser endomicroscopy allows the assessment of residual cellular inflammation, crypt and vessel architecture distortion during ongoing endoscopy, and therefore permits a real-time evaluation of histological healing in patients with ulcerative proctitis. Images of conventional optical microscopy and confocal laser endomicroscopy in patients with ulcerative proctitis in remission are presented.
authors.affiliation: Center for Digestive Diseases and Liver Transplantation, Fundeni Clinical Institute, Bucharest, Romania. drgheorghe@xnet.ro
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gheorghe
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cotruta
authors.forename: Razvan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iacob
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Becheanu
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dumbrava
authors.forename: Liana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gheorghe
mesh_terms: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D003106:Colon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D020685:Colonoscopes; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000295:instrumentation; D004867:Equipment Design; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000295:instrumentation; D008904:Miniaturization; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012383:Romania; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents