Magnetic resonance imaging of small bowel Crohn's disease.
Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disease of the  gastrointestinal tract, which mostly affects young patients. Imaging techniques  form a very important part for the evaluation of CD and for monitoring disease  progression or response to therapy. Currently, imaging of CD is increasingly being  performed by cross-sectional modalities, i.e. multidetector computed tomography  (MDCT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), since these techniques allow for  simultaneous visualization of luminal, mural and extraintestinal disease extension.  MR enterography has the potential to safely and noninvasively accomplish the imaging  needs of patients with Crohn disease without exposing them to ionizing radiation.  The new imaging paradigm should contemplate patient safety as a very important  aspect when assessing the role of an imaging modality in comparison with others.  For this reason, MRI may be the preferred modality for evaluation of small bowel  disease, especially in young patients in the setting of CD, considering that the  majority will undergo frequent repeat studies. Also, the information on disease  activity is not matched by any other imaging method. In this review article, the  authors discuss the essential aspects of MR evaluation of CD, including protocol  and imaging findings, also referring the advantages over other radiological studies,  concerning safety, accuracy and potential importance for therapeutic approach.
Department of Radiology, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, Portugal.
Miguel
M
Ramalho
Vasco
V
Herédia
Cláudia
C
Cardoso
António P
AP
Matos
João
J
Palas
João
J
De Freitas
Richard C
RC
Semelka
D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007421:Intestine, Small; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D012720:Severity of Illness Index