Work from the last years indicates that the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a direct role in various cellular processes, including proliferation, migration and differentiation. Besides homeostatic processes, its regulatory function in inflammation becomes more and more evident. In inflammation, such as inflammatory bowel disease, the ECM composition is constantly remodeled, and this can result in a structuring of fistulizing disease course. Thus, tracking early ECM changes might bear the potential to predict the disease course. In this review, we provide an overview of relevant diagnostic methods, focusing on ECM changes.
Keywords: Crohn’s disease; elastography; extracellular matrix; fibrosis; glycosaminoglycans; histopathology; inflammatory bowel disease; magnetic resonance imaging; stenosis; ulcerative colitis.