P111 “EARS” (Erlanger Activity Related Score) of IBD: A new tool that allows accurate in vivo assessment of inflammatory activity in ulcerative colitis

Abstract

Background: Increased vascular permeability and angiogenesis play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Previously, magnifying endoscopy and chromoendoscopy have been shown to be reliable tools for predicting histological assessment of severity in patients with mild or even inactive disease. i-scan (Pentax, Tokyo, Japan) was recently introduced as a novel computed virtual chromoendoscopy technique which enables a clear visualization of the mucosal vascular pattern within the gastrointestinal tract. Aim was to determine whether i-scan has the potential to enhance assessment of disease severity and extent in patients with mild or inactive IBD in comparison to high-definition white light endoscopy (HD-WL). Methods: Consecutive patients with IBD were randomly assigned at a 1:1 ratio to undergo colonoscopy with HD-WL (Group 1) or i-scan (Group 2). The mucosal vascular pattern and any mucosal abnormalities were recorded. Inflammation in ulcerative colitis was recorded according to Mayo ulcerative endoscopic score and in Crohn’s disease according to Crohn’s Disease Endoscopic Index of Severity (CDEIS). Subsequent to endoscopic characterization targeted biopsies were obtained from every segment for subsequent histopathological analysis of disease activity. Results: Overall, 100 patients were screened to participate in this study of whom 78 patients (HD white light, n = 39; i-scan, n = 39) completed the study protocol thereby matching the previously calculated sample size. Average duration of the examination was 18 minutes in group A and 20.5 minutes in group B which was not statistically significant. When comparing the endoscopic prediction of inflammatory extent and activity with the histological results an overall agreement of 51.28% and 56.41% (group A) and 92.31% and 89.74% (group B) was found, respectively. These differences were statistically significant (p = 0.0009 and p = 0.011). Conclusions: The present study indicates that i-scan significantly improves the diagnosis of the severity and extent of mucosal inflammation in patients with IBD. This newly developed imaging technique will therefore have important implications for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in patients with IBD.