title: Investigative MRI cholangiopancreatography for primary sclerosing cholangitis-type lesions in children with IBD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to estimate the frequency of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)-type lesions in children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by means of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), and to investigate the association between a series of easily applicable data on the one hand and the presentation of such lesions at MRCP on the other hand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Collected demographic, laboratory, and magnetic resonance enterography data from the records of 73 children with IBD were cross-sectionally related to the MRCP-based diagnosis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Around the time of MRCP, the distribution of IBD subtypes was 64.4%, 24.7%, and 11% for Crohn disease, indeterminate colitis, and ulcerative colitis, respectively. A total of 11 patients (15.1%) were identified with PSC-type lesions. Demographic and magnetic resonance enterography data were unrelated to the MRCP outcome. Biochemical abnormalities were of low prevalence (<50%) among patients with PSC. The abnormality prevalences of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and γ-glutamyl transferase were significantly higher in the PSC group, both at initial diagnosis of IBD and at the time of MRCP. Less-consistent results were documented for bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase, especially at initial diagnosis of IBD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The abnormality prevalences of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, and γ-glutamyl transferase were significantly higher in the PSC group. Nevertheless, PSC-type lesions frequently occur in pediatric IBD, even if the biochemical profile is hardly indicative of this probability.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Radiology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, General University Hospital "Attikon," Greece.
authors.forename: Efthymia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alexopoulou
authors.forename: Polis E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Xenophontos
authors.forename: Nikos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Economopoulos
authors.forename: Themistoklis N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Spyridopoulos
authors.forename: Olympia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Papakonstantinou
authors.forename: Ioanna
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Panayotou
authors.forename: Konstantina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dimakou
authors.forename: Eleftheria
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roma
authors.forename: Nikolaos L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Kelekis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001659:Biliary Tract / Q000473:pathology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D049448:Cholangiopancreatography, Magnetic Resonance / Q000379:methods; D015209:Cholangitis, Sclerosing / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D003092:Colitis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase