Role of magnetic resonance enterography in the management of Crohn disease

Objective: To assess the impact of magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) on therapeutic decision making for patients with Crohn disease. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Tertiary care medical center. Patient: One hundred twenty patients who had either a history of or high suspicion for Crohn disease with onset of new symptoms underwent MRE over 18 months at our institution. All patients with Crohn disease were classified according to the Montreal system. Interventions: Magnetic resonance enterography and medical vs surgical therapy. Main Outcome Measure: Changes in management after MRE findings. Results: Magnetic resonance enterography demonstrated active Crohn disease in 57.5% of patients, chronic changes of Crohn disease without active inflammation (eg, stricture, fistula, or abscess) in 12.5% of cases, and no evidence of Crohn disease in 30% of cases. After MRE, 37 (31%) had no change in medical therapy, 64 (53%) had additional medical management for active inflammation, and 19 (16%) underwent an operation for complicated Crohn disease or medical intractability. In all surgical patients, the intraoperative findings were consistent with the MRE diagnosis. The mean (SD) MRE score was 1.6 (0.5) for patients who had no change in their treatment plans, 5.8 (1) for patients who underwent surgery, and 8 (0.4) for patients who had their drug regimen changed (P<.001). The MRE score independently correlated with need for intervention (P=.001). Conclusions: Magnetic resonance enterography shows promising ability to characterize the presence of active Crohn disease as well as chronic complications (eg, differentiate between stricture due to edema vs fibrotic scarring). Magnetic resonance enterography is fast becoming a useful adjunct in the management algorithm of patients with Crohn disease.