Crohn's disease: clinical-surgical questions and imaging answers

Eur J Radiol. 2009 Mar;69(3):375-80. doi: 10.1016/j.ejrad.2008.11.010. Epub 2009 Jan 7.

Abstract

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) characterized by a relapsing clinical pattern that typically affects people during their adult and economically productive lives. Affected patients require clinical follow-up because of the periodic flare-up of the disease and of the risk of long-term complications. Extensive diagnostic procedures, medical and surgical treatments are often needed over a lifetime. The challenge posed by the management of IBD is better faced by a multidisciplinary team that includes health care providers with complementary diagnostic or therapeutic skills. The team is expected to provide the best practice to manage IBD by defining a realistic "diagnostic and therapeutic pathway" for the patients to follow based on the locally available professional, structural and technological resources. For such a "pathway" the correct questions and answers are essential. Sometimes it is not easy to make sense out of these questions. To ask a right question is not simple. Of course, different surgeons and gastroenterologists ask different questions. If radiologists want to choose the right imaging method, they must know these questions. There exist a simple equation: good question=correct imaging method=right answer.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Crohn Disease / diagnosis*
  • Crohn Disease / surgery
  • Decision Support Techniques*
  • Diagnostic Imaging / methods*
  • Digestive System Surgical Procedures / methods*
  • Humans
  • Surgery, Computer-Assisted / methods*