Gastrointest Endosc Clin N Am. 2025 Jan;35(1):1-18. doi: 10.1016/j.giec.2024.04.001.Epub 2024 May 8.

Joëlle St-Pierre ¹, David T Rubin ²

Author information

¹Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago Medicine Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. Electronic address: joelle.st-pierre@uchicagomedicine.org.

²Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, University of Chicago Medicine Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. Electronic address: https://twitter.com/IBDMD.

Abstract

The management of inflammatory bowel disease has seen significant advancements with the introduction of endoscopic examinations, allowing for diagnosis, assessment of inflammation severity, and monitoring of treatment response. The frequency of follow-up endoscopies is personalized based on the factors such as the disease course and treatment response. Endoscopic findings should be well described, and biopsies should be acquired in a thoughtful, protocolized manner. While endoscopy is essential, it has certain limitations. It can be invasive, cause discomfort and associated with possible complications.