title: Assessment of Magnetic Resonance Enterography in the Diagnosis of Small Bowel Diseases in Children with Crohn's Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In pediatric patients Crohn's disease most commonly involves the colon and the ileocecal part of the intestine. MR enterography, a new method of small bowel imaging with magnetic resonance, has been introduced in the last decade.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of the MR enterography in the diagnosis of small bowel lesions in children with Crohn's disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 37 children (18 girls and 19 boys) aged from 5.5 to 18 years (average age, 13.3), diagnosed with Crohn's disease according to the Porto criteria. The disease duration ranged from 1 month to 12 years, on average 3 years. MR eterography was performed according to the Giles et al. protocol. The obtained results were compared with the location and the manifestation of the disease according to the Paris classification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 13 children (35.1%), the disease began prior to 10 years of age, and in the remaining 24 children (64.9%) between 10 and 17 years of age. The gastrointestinal endoscopy confirmed Crohn's disease in the colon (45.9%) and in the colon and ileum (27.1%). An incomplete colonoscopy examination which did not reveal the location of the disease was conducted in 7 children (18.9%). A comparison of the location of Crohn's disease with the location of lesions in the small bowel as indicated by MR enterography revealed that the most common changes can be found in the final part of ileum, in ileum, and in 4 children in jejunum. MR enterography demonstrated, that 16 children (43.2%) had inflammation, 7 children (18.9%) stenosis, and 14 children (37.8%) had no lesions at all.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MR enterography is a non-invasive and safe procedure well tolerated by children that allows the visualization of lesions in the small bowel in children with Crohn's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrtion, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland.
authors.forename: Barbara M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Iwańczak
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Imaging Laboratory, Copper Health Center, Lubin, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nienartowicz
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrtion, Wroclaw Medical University, Poland.
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Krzesiek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007082:Ileum / Q000473:pathology*; D007583:Jejunum / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests