The Emerging Role of Ultrasonography in Ulcerative Colitis

What To Know

Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is being reviewed as a noninvasive tool to assess and monitor ulcerative colitis (UC), including its use at the bedside with hand-held devices and transperineal ultrasound (TPUS) to improve rectal and pouch evaluation.

The review highlights potential roles for IUS in acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC) and in postoperative pouch assessment, but notes that prospective multicenter validation is still needed before routine clinical implementation.

IUS can evaluate disease activity and monitor treatment response; TPUS helps overcome limitations of standard IUS for rectal assessment and allows pouch evaluation after colectomy with IPAA (j-pouch). Hand-held/point-of-care ultrasound shows promise with accuracy comparable to standard equipment in some studies, enabling bedside assessments.

The review is a narrative literature synthesis rather than a new trial; it summarizes emerging applications and calls for larger prospective validation studies. It does not provide new diagnostic thresholds or definitive guidance for replacing endoscopy.