August 13, 2025Open Access

How to use intestinal ultrasonography in patients with Crohn disease: its role in the assessment of disease activity and disease monitoring in the era of the treat-to-target strategy

MYMyung‐Won YouYonsei University SMSung Kyoung MoonKyung Hee University Dental Hospital SPSeong Jin ParkKyung Hee University Medical Center

Key Points

Intestinal ultrasonography effectively monitors disease activity in Crohn disease, offering a noninvasive alternative to traditional imaging methods.
Key evidence shows that IUS is particularly beneficial for younger patients, enabling frequent assessments of disease status and treatment response.
The review compares the utility of IUS with magnetic resonance enterography, highlighting its role in evaluating transmural response during treatment monitoring.
The findings suggest a need for further exploration of IUS limitations and its scoring systems in clinical applications for Crohn disease.

Abstract

Intestinal ultrasonography (IUS) is one of the primary noninvasive, cross-sectional imaging modalities for the diagnosis and monitoring of Crohn disease (CD). IUS is highly accessible and convenient, particularly for patients, making it an ideal tool for frequent and repeated assessments of CD, which is especially prevalent in younger populations. This review examines the current role of IUS in assessing disease activity and complications, including the use of various scoring systems, compares its utility with magnetic resonance enterography, and discusses its role in evaluating transmural response and healing during treatment monitoring, as well as its limitations.

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