Nancy Versus Simplified Magnetic Resonance Index of Activity for Crohn's Disease Scores for Crohn's Disease

ABSTRACT Background and Aim Many scoring systems assess ileocolonic Crohn's disease (CD) activity on contrast‐enhanced MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Simplified scores have been developed such as Nancy score and simplified MaRIA score. This study aimed to determine the correlation between these two scores in a large cohort of patients with CD. Methods This monocentric retrospective study included 200 patients with ileal or ileocolonic CD who underwent 1.5 T MRI and clinical evaluation within 3 months interval. Two radiologists independently scored each colonic segment and distal ileum using Nancy and simplified MaRIA scores. Correlations between MRI scores, clinical activity, and biomarkers were assessed using the Spearman method with bootstrapped confidence intervals. Results 1115 segments were analyzed. A total of 40% of patients had CD limited to the ileum, 31% had stricturing disease, and 28% penetrating disease. A total of 75% patients were considered in clinical remission. Correlation between Nancy and simplified MaRIA scores was high: 0.96 (95% CI: 0.92–0.97). Inter‐reader reliability was moderate with a weighted Kappa of 0.58 (95% CI: 0.38–0.78) for Nancy and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.46–0.82) for simplified Maria. Median completion time was of 78 64; 99 seconds for Nancy and 74 56; 97 for the simplified MaRIA. Correlation between clinical activity and Nancy and simplified MaRIA scores was of 0.44 (95% CI: 0.27–0.52) and 0.44 (95% CI: 0.25–0.51), respectively. Correlation between MRI scores and fecal calprotectin was 0.19 (95% CI: 0.17–0.60) for Nancy and 0.22 (0.19–0.63) for simplified MaRIA. Conclusion Nancy and simplified MaRIA scores showed similar inter‐reader reproducibility, correlations with clinical activity and fecal calprotectin, and equivalent quick reading times. Their strong correlation supports that either scores can be employed in clinical research or standard care.