title: Magnetic resonance colonography in severe attacks of ulcerative colitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the ability of MR colonography (MRC) to detect lesions in severe attacks of ulcerative colitis (UC) and to assess its concordance with rectosigmoidoscopy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen patients underwent MRC and rectosigmoidoscopy. MRC consisted of a water-filled colonic procedure followed by T1/T2w images. Image quality was recorded. Inflammatory lesions and the existence of signs of severity were analysed. We calculated MR accuracy in the diagnosis of inflammatory lesions, as well as per segment and per patient concordance depending on the presence or absence of severe lesions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MR image quality of the 108 segments was satisfactory. Endoscopy was used to study 36 segments (rectum and sigmoid). MRC had a positive predictive value of 100% and a sensitivity of 64% in the diagnosis of inflammatory lesions. Concordance for the diagnosis of severe lesions was excellent for the rectum (k = 0.85) and good for the sigmoid (k = 0.64). MRC diagnosed signs of severity in all patients affected at endoscopy. MRC also disclosed signs of severity located higher in the colon in four patients with nonsevere lesions at rectosigmoidoscopy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRC can accurately diagnose inflammatory lesions in severe attacks of UC and significantly correlates with rectosigmoidoscopy in the diagnosis of severe lesions.
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department - QUANTIF - LITIS EA 4108, Rouen University Hospital Charles Nicolle, 1 rue de Germont, 76031 Rouen, France. savoyecel@hotmail.com
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Savoye-Collet
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Roset
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koning
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Charpentier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hommel
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lerebours
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Dacher
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Savoye
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000473:pathology*; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology*; D003113:Colonoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D055815:Young Adult