title: Preventing Collateral Damage in Crohn's Disease: The Lémann Index.
abstract: Crohn's disease [CD] is a chronic progressive and destructive condition. Half of all CD patients will develop bowel damage at 10 years. As in rheumatic diseases, preventing the organ damage consequent to CD complications [fistula, abscess, and/or stricture] is emerging as a new therapeutic goal for these patients in clinical practice. This might be the only way to alter disease course, as surgery is often required for disease complications. Similar to the joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis, bowel damage has also emerged as a new endpoint in disease-modification trials such as the REACT trial. Recently, the Lemann Index [LI] has been developed to measure CD-related bowel damage, and to assess damage progression over time, in order to evaluate the impact of therapeutic strategies in terms of preventing bowel damage. While validation is pending, recent reports suggested that bowel damage is reversible by anti-tumour necrosis factor [TNF] therapy. The Lémann index may play a key role in CD management, and should be implemented in all upcoming disease-modification trials in CD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Gionata
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fiorino
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bonifacio
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Nancy University Hospital, Nancy-Les-Vandoeuvre, France.
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peyrin-Biroulet
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Humanitas Research Hospital, Rozzano, Milan, Italy Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Rozzano, Milan, Italy sdanese@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Danese
mesh_terms: D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000473:pathology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Crohn’s disease; Lémann index; bowel damage; imaging; inflammatory bowel disease