Intest Res.  2011 Aug;9(2):97-104. 10.5217/ir.2011.9.2.97.

The Clinical Utility of Positron Emission Tomography-computed Tomography in the Evaluation of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

• Ryu SH
• Cheon JH
• Kang WJ
• Kim JY
• Kim BK
• Yoon JY
• Jung YS
• Heo HM
• Lee JH
• Jeon SM
• Hong SP
• Kim TI
• Kim WH

• KMID: 2233115
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2011.9.2.97

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is a nuclear imaging technique that provides noninvasive, three dimensional, quantitative images. Recently, PET-CT has been shown to be valuable in assessing patients with inflammatory diseases; however, the clinical utility of PET-CT in the evaluation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not been defined. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the clinical utility of PET-CT in the evaluation of IBD.
METHODS
Between November 2006 and September 2010, clinical, endoscopic, and radiological data on 14 patients (6 males and 8 females: age range, 33-79 years) with suspected IBD were collected. The standard work-up method for a definite diagnosis of IBD included ileocolonoscopy.
RESULTS
The 14 patients were divided into the following five groups: ulcerative colitis (n=4, 29%), intestinal Behcet's disease (n=3, 21%), intestinal tuberculosis (n=2, 14%), malignancy (n=2, 14%), and no abnormal findings with colonoscopy (n=3, 21%). A PET-CT based-diagnosis of IBD correlated with a colonoscopic diagnosis in nine cases (64.3%), but the matching ratio of the distribution of lesions between PET-CT findings and colonoscopic findings was only 18.1% (2/11).
CONCLUSIONS
The utility of PET-CT in the diagnosis of IBD requires further evaluation.

Keyword

Inflammatory Bowel Disease; PET-CT; Clinical Utility

MeSH Terms

Colitis, Ulcerative
Colonoscopy
Electrons
Humans
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Male
Tuberculosis