Author information

1 Division of Gastroenterology, John T. Milliken Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.

2 Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.

3 Division of Abdominal Imaging, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota.

4 Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota.

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic autoimmune conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, mainly grouped into ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. Traditionally, symptoms have been used to guide IBD management, but this approach is fatally flawed, as symptoms don't correlate with disease activity and often fail to predict disease complications, especially with Crohn's disease. Hence, there is increasing recognition of the need for treatment algorithms based on objective measures of bowel inflammation. In this review, we will focus on advancements in the endoscopic and radiological imaging armamentarium that allow detailed assessments from intestinal mucosa to mesentery.