Radiol Clin North Am. 2020 May;58(3):517-527 doi: 10.1016/j.rcl.2020.01.007.

Michael S Furman ¹, Edward Y Lee ²

Author information

¹Diagnostic Imaging, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA. Electronic address: furman.m@gmail.com.

²Department of Radiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has a rising prevalence in children and an increasing number of adults living with IBD were diagnosed in childhood. This chronic disorder requires frequent cross-sectional imaging for evaluating disease progression. Radiologists must be vigilant to detect and understand imaging manifestations of acute and chronic, alimentary, and extraintestinal findings of IBD. This article discusses the role of imaging in evaluation of IBD transitioning from pediatric to adult patients. Imaging modalities and techniques used for evaluating IBD are reviewed. Characteristic acute and chronic imaging findings of IBD are discussed with emphasis on what radiologists need to clearly understand.