Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Feb;18(2):219-25.
doi: 10.1002/ibd.21683. Epub 2011 Feb 17.

Benefit of computed tomography enterography in Crohn's disease: effects on patient management and physician level of confidence

David H Bruining  1 , Hassan A Siddiki, Joel G Fletcher, William J Sandborn, Jeff L Fidler, James E Huprich, Jayawant N Mandrekar, William S Harmsen, Paul E Evans, William A Faubion, Karen A Hanson, Steven B Ingle, Darrell S Pardi, Kenneth W Schroeder, William J Tremaine, Edward V Loftus Jr
Affiliations

Benefit of computed tomography enterography in Crohn's disease: effects on patient management and physician level of confidence

David H Bruining et al. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2012 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Computed tomographic enterography (CTE) has been shown to have a high sensitivity and specificity for active small bowel inflammation. There are only sparse data on the effect of CTE results on Crohn's disease (CD) patient care.

Methods: We prospectively assessed 273 patients with established or suspected CD undergoing a clinically indicated CTE. Providers were asked to complete pre- and postimaging questionnaires regarding proposed clinical management plans and physician level of confidence (LOC) for the presence or absence of active small bowel disease, fistula(s), abscess(es), or stricturing disease. Correlative clinical, serologic, and histologic data were recorded. Following revelation of CTE results, providers were questioned if CTE altered their management plans, and whether LOC changes were due to CTE findings (on a 5-point scale).

Results: CTE altered management plans in 139 cases (51%). CTE changed management in 70 (48%) of those with established disease, prompting medication changes in 35 (24%). Management changes were made post-CTE in 69 (54%) of those with suspected CD, predominantly due to excluding CD (36%). CTE-perceived changes in management were independent of clinical, serologic, and histologic findings (P < 0.0001). Clinically meaningful LOC changes (2 or more points) were observed in 212 (78%).

Conclusions: CTE is a clinically useful examination, altering management plans in nearly half of patients with CD, while increasing physician LOC for the detection of small bowel inflammation and penetrating disease. These findings further support the use of CTE in CD management algorithms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types