Cure8 research brief
If your colonoscopy found inflammation only in the terminal ileum, additional imaging with CTE identified more proximal small-bowel disease in about half of patients and often led to a diagnosis of Crohn’s disease.
Knowing which patients were more likely to have positive CTE might help guide decisions about further testing.
Gastroenterologists, radiologists, adult patients with isolated terminal ileitis on colonoscopy, and clinicians deciding on further diagnostic evaluation for suspected small-bowel Crohn’s disease.
This was a retrospective review of 98 patients with terminal ileitis but no colonic abnormalities seen on ileocolonoscopy. A positive CTE was defined as a lesion in the proximal small bowel beyond the terminal ileum. Positive CTE findings occurred in 49% of patients; Crohn’s disease was diagnosed in 75% of those with positive CTE.
The study identified three independent predictors of positive CTE: an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (>10 mm/hr), age over 60 years, and visible mucosal erythema in the terminal ileum during ileocolonoscopy. The authors suggest that CTE may be particularly useful when one or more of these features are present.
This is a retrospective single-center study reported in the abstract; results should be interpreted with caution and considered alongside clinical findings and local diagnostic pathways.
Review the original publication for the complete reporting, methods, and context.
This Cure8 brief is based on source text from the linked article. Cure8 is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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