Bowel wall enhancement in magnetic resonance colonography for assessing activity in Crohn's disease

This study focuses on the correlation of the signal intensity (SI) of the bowel wall in magnetic resonance (MR) colonography with the inflammation activity in Crohn's disease. We performed MR colonography in 42 patients and compared the change of the SI of the bowel wall (T1-weighted/paramagnetic contrast medium) with colonoscopic findings. Change of the SI and colonoscopically assessed inflammatory activity are significantly correlated ( r=.676, P≤.01). The degree of the contrast enhancement of the bowel wall may be a criterion for the degree of inflammation in Crohn's disease.