The role of diffusion-weighted MRI in assessment of inflammatory bowel disease

Christine Schmid-Tannwald; Christoph M Schmid-Tannwald; John N Morelli; Nathalie L Albert; Margarita Braunagel; Christoph Trumm; Maximilian F Reiser; Birgit Ertl-Wagner; Carsten Rist

doi:10.1007/s00261-016-0727-6

The role of diffusion-weighted MRI in assessment of inflammatory bowel disease

Abdom Radiol (NY). 2016 Aug;41(8):1484-94. doi: 10.1007/s00261-016-0727-6.

Authors

Christine Schmid-Tannwald¹, Christoph M Schmid-Tannwald¹, John N Morelli², Nathalie L Albert³, Margarita Braunagel¹, Christoph Trumm¹, Maximilian F Reiser¹, Birgit Ertl-Wagner¹, Carsten Rist⁴

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital Munich, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany.
² The Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 601 N Caroline, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
³ Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital Munich, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany.
⁴ Institute for Clinical Radiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Hospital Munich, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377, Munich, Germany. carsten.rist@me.com.

PMID: 27108127
DOI: 10.1007/s00261-016-0727-6

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the role of diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) in detecting and differentiating acute from chronic bowel inflammation in patients with Crohn's disease (CD).

Materials and methods: MR-enteroclysis examinations with DW-MRI were reviewed from 24 patients with histologically proven CD. Segments of bowel were evaluated for acute and chronic inflammation in three different reviews of the MRI images: T2w alone, T2w + DWI, and T2w + CET1w. Mean ADC values of normal bowel segments, as well as bowel segments with acute and chronic inflammation were calculated and compared. Analyses of receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve were performed.

Results: Hundred and forty four bowel segments in total were reviewed. Inflammation was present in 45 segments. Acute inflammation was present in 31 segments, chronic inflammation in 14. 98 bowel segments showed no inflammatory activity. Sensitivity and specificity for differentiation between normal and inflamed bowel segments was 0.6, 0.67, and 0.80 on T2w, T2w + DWI, and T2w + CET1w datasets, respectively. Specificities for differentiation between normal and inflamed bowel segments were 0.96, 0.96, and 0.98. Sensitivities for differentiation between acute and chronically inflamed bowel segments were 0.85, 0.91, and 0.96, and specificities were 0.88, 0.89, and 1.0, respectively. The mean ADC value of normal bowel (2.18 ± 0.37 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s) was statistically significantly greater than the mean value of inflamed bowel segments (p < 0.001). The mean ADC value of acutely inflamed bowel segments was statistically significantly lower than that of chronically inflamed bowel segments (1.09 ± 0.18 × 10(-3) vs. 1.55 ± 0.21 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s) (p < 0.001). Estimated area under the ROC curve for the diagnosis of acute vs. chronic inflammation was 0.950. A threshold of ADC value of 1.41 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s was optimal for calculation of sensitivity and specificity.

Conclusion: DW-MRI improves detection and differentiation of acute vs. chronic inflammatory changes of the bowel in patients with CD compared to T2w-images alone.

Keywords: Crohn’s disease; Diffusion-weighted MRI; Disease activity; MR-enteroclysis; MRI.

MeSH terms

Acute Disease
Adult
Chronic Disease
Diagnosis, Differential
Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods*
Female
Humans
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / diagnostic imaging*
Male
Retrospective Studies
Sensitivity and Specificity