Scientific Abstract

Proposal No. IBD-0179R
Principal Investigator:  Michael V. Chiorean, M.D.
Applicant Organization:  Indiana University (Indianapolis, U.S.A.)
Project Title:  Correlation of CT enteroclysis with surgical pathology in patients with Crohn’s disease
Period of Award:  April 1, 2006 – March 31, 2007

The objective of this project is to determine if CT enteroclysis (CTE) can distinguish between inflammation and fibrosis in patients with CD. This technique may provide detailed structural information from areas of the small bowel that are inaccessible with other diagnostic tools. The accuracy of CTE will be compared to surgical pathology in differentiating inflammatory lesions (that may respond to medical therapy) vs. fibro-stenotic lesions (that require surgery) in patients with Crohn’s disease. Based on the expertise available at Indiana University (IU) with CTE, this hypothesis will be tested by: 1) Determining if CT enteroclysis can distinguish between specific CD lesions as identified by pathology; and 2) Identifying clinical and laboratory variables that may predict the pathological diagnosis in CD. For the first aim, CTE findings will be compared retrospectively with the pathological diagnosis in patients with Crohn's disease who underwent surgery at IU between 2001 and 2005, and the sensitivity, specificity and overall accuracy will be determined. The correlation of specific clinical parameters (demographic data, endoscopy, inflammatory markers, and serological tests) with surgical pathology will be determined by using logistic regression analysis.