Introduction to the Feature Section on “Crohn’s disease activity: MRI assessment and clinical implications”

Abstract

The purpose of this feature section is to provide a clinical–radiological update on an emerging topic of gastrointestinal imaging, the assessment of Crohn’s Disease (CD) activity with MRI. The term ‘‘Crohn’s Disease Activity’’ is widely used by gastroenterologists to evaluate the degree of intestinal inflammation. Currently, several clinical, biological, endoscopic, and histological indexes are used in the clinical practice to quantify inflammation of CD, including the widely used Crohn’s disease activity index (CDAI) and the Crohn’s disease endoscopic index of severity (CDEIS). Similarly, several imaging modalities, including contrast-enhanced ultrasonography, contrast-enhanced CT and MRI, are variably used for detecting the main signs of intestinal inflammation in CD. The growing interest shown by gastroenterologists in the assessment of CD activity is related to the need of monitoring the evolution of the disease and the therapeutic efficacy of both traditional and new biological treatments.