Use of color Doppler ultrasonography for evaluating vascularity of small intestinal lesions in Crohn's disease: correlation with endoscopic and surgical macroscopic findings.

OBJECTIVE. Ultrasonography (US) is a simple, inexpensive and minimally invasive method. We evaluated the vascularity of small intestinal lesions in Crohn's disease using color Doppler US (CD-US) and retrospectively compared them with endoscopic and surgical macroscopic findings. MATERIAL AND METHODS. In order to compare CD-US and endoscopic findings, 108 Crohn's disease patients who underwent examination of the terminal ileum by both colonoscopy and CD-US were included in the study. Vascularity was evaluated in CD-US using a semiquantitative method, the Limberg score. We analyzed correlations between Limberg score and simple endoscopic score for Crohn's disease (SES-CD), an index reflecting endoscopic activity. Scores of SES-CD 3 and higher were defined as endoscopically active. For comparison with surgical macroscopic findings, 22 Crohn's disease patients who received CD-US and subsequent iliectomies were included. Lesions with apparent open ulcers were defined as active, and those without as non-active. These findings were compared with the Limberg score. RESULTS. A substantial positive correlation was observed between Limberg scores and SES-CD (ρ = 0.709 [p < 0.001]). Notably, all 27 cases with a Limberg score of 3 or 4 were classified as endoscopically active. Compared to surgical macroscopic activity, Limberg scores of active lesions were significantly higher than those of non-active lesions (p = 0.005). In particular, all 11 cases with a Limberg score of 3 or 4 were classified as active lesions. CONCLUSION. Vascularity of small intestinal lesions of Crohn's disease evaluated by CD-US with Limberg score is well correlated with endoscopic and surgical macroscopic findings.