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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 21, 2023; 29(23): 3595-3605
Published online Jun 21, 2023. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v29.i23.3595
Prognostic role of intestinal ultrasound in Crohn’s disease
Cristina Manzotti, Francesco Colombo, Tommaso Zurleni, Piergiorgio Danelli, Giovanni Maconi
Cristina Manzotti, Giovanni Maconi, Gastroenterology Unit, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, L.Sacco University Hospital, Milano 20157, Italy
Francesco Colombo, Tommaso Zurleni, Piergiorgio Danelli, Division of General Surgery, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, L.Sacco University Hospital, Milano 20157, Italy
Author contributions: Manzotti C and Maconi G gave substantial contributions to conception and design of the review, and literature review; Manzotti C drafted and edited the article; Colombo F and Maconi G revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content; Colombo F, Zurleni T, and Danelli P worked together for the final approval of the version to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Francesco Colombo, MD, Assistant Professor, Division of General Surgery, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, L.Sacco University Hospital, Via Giovanni Battista Grassi 74, Milano 20157, Italy. colombo.francesco@asst-fbf-sacco.it
Received: March 9, 2023
Peer-review started: March 9, 2023
First decision: March 20, 2023
Revised: April 5, 2023
Accepted: May 23, 2023
Article in press: May 23, 2023
Published online: June 21, 2023
Processing time: 98 Days and 19.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) and magnetic resonance enterography are better tolerated and safer than endoscopy, with IUS more easily available and less expensive than magnetic resonance imaging. Moreover, IUS allows complete visualization of the small-bowel even in patients with stenoses and/or severe inflammation, and can assess for extraintestinal disease. In addition, IUS may predict outcomes better than endoscopic mucosal assessment, possibly identifying more relevant therapeutic targets. This review discusses the role of IUS in Crohn’s disease not only as first line investigation but as an extremely useful instrument in predicting response to medical treatment, disease evolution and risk of recurrence before and after surgery.