Diffusion-weighted MRI in Crohn's disease: Current status and recommendations

Anthony Dohan (1) , Stuart Taylor (2) , Christine Hoeffel (3) , Maximilien Barret , Matthieu Allez (4) , Raphael Dautry , Magaly Zappa , Céline Savoye-Collet (5, 6) , Xavier Dray (7) , Mourad Boudiaf , Caroline Reinhold , Philippe Soyer

1 Service de radiologie viscérale et vasculaire
2 Microsoft - Microsoft Research [Cambridge]
3 Hôpital Maison Blanche
4 Hôpital Saint-Louis
5 Service d'Imagerie Médicale [CHU Rouen]
6 QuantIF-LITIS - Equipe Quantification en Imagerie Fonctionnelle
7 ASTRE [Cergy-Pontoise]

Over the past years, technological improvements and refinements in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) hardware have made high-quality diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) routinely possible for the bowel. DWI is promising for the detection and characterization of lesions in Crohn's disease (CD) and has been advocated as an alternative to intravenous gadolinium-based contrast agents. Furthermore, quantification using the apparent diffusion coefficient may have value as a biomarker of CD activity and has shown promise. In this article we critically review the literature pertaining to the value of DWI in CD for detection, characterization, and quantification of disease activity and complications. Although the body of supportive evidence is growing, it is clear that well-designed, multicenter studies are required before the role of DWI in clinical practice can be fully established. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2016;44:1381-1396.

Mots clés: Crohn's Disease; MR imaging; MR-enterography; diffusion weighted imaging; imaging techniques; inflammatory bowel disease

Domaines: Hépatologie et Gastroentérologie

Anthony Dohan, Stuart Taylor, Christine Hoeffel, Maximilien Barret, Matthieu Allez, et al.. Diffusion-weighted MRI in Crohn's disease: Current status and recommendations. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 2016, 44 (6), pp.1381 - 1396. ⟨10.1002/jmri.25325⟩. ⟨hal-01643992⟩