title: Quantitative assessment of small bowel motility in patients with Crohn's disease using dynamic MRI.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Assessment of motility alterations by functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contributes to improved evaluation of inflammatory bowel disease. The aim of the study was to quantify motility in inflammatory bowel segments and to compare motility alterations with MR-based parameters for activity of inflammation in Crohn's disease (CD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty consecutive patients with CD underwent bowel MRI which included a dynamic sequence for automatic generation of parametric maps facilitating quantification of bowel motility. Mean motility score (MMS) of small bowel segments with signs of inflammation was measured and compared with MMS of the whole gastrointestinal tract (GI tract). MRI-based score of inflammatory activity and lesion length were correlated with the MMS ratio of inflammatory small bowel lesion and whole GI tract.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Inflammatory bowel segments showed a mean value of MMSs of 1080, whereas the whole GI tract showed a mean value of MMSs of 2839 (p < 0.0001). Decrease in motility ranged between 20 and 87% in inflammatory bowel segments compared to the MMS of the whole GI tract. The MMS ratio of an inflammatory small bowel segment and whole GI tract showed negative correlation with MR activity score (r = -0.5921, p = 0.0003) and length of the lesion (r = -0.3495, p = 0.0462).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quantitative assessment of motility alterations by means of motility scoring in small bowel segments affected by CD provides additional information on inflammatory activity.
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: M L
authors: ML
authors: Hahnemann
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Nensa
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Kinner
authors: Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Köhler
authors: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Gerken
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Umutlu
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
authors: T C
authors: TC
authors: Lauenstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007249:Inflammation; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Crohn's disease; MRI; motility analysis; small bowel motility