Point-of-care ultrasound of the inflammatory bowel disease

Background. The widespread use of portable ultrasound scanners has advanced the concept of ultrasound diagnosis (POCUS), namely «ultrasound examination (US) is performed at the bedside and is interpreted directly by a physician». Pocus is not a substitute for complex ultrasound, but rather allows the ultrasound doctor to quickly access clinical images for rapid diagnosis and effective examination and treatment of patients. Purpose – the work to identify ultrasound signs of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) using POCUS. Materials and Methods. 70 patients aged 18 to 39 years (24 men and 46 women, mean age – 30.3 ± 13.7 years). The first group of patients included 32 people with a morphologically confirmed CD diagnosis, the second group included 38 people with a morphologically confirmed UC diagnosis. The control group consisted of 2 8 patients with no clinical and laboratory data on gastrointestinal lesions. Results. It was shown that the ultrasound can assess the thickness of the intestinal wall with sensitivity – 90.3% and specificity – 87.1% and ROC – 0.882, differentiation of the wall layers, surrounding structures (omentum, mesentery, lymph nodes), as well as the localization of the affected intestinal segment. Color Doppler Mapping (CDM) method with a sensitivity of 86.5% and specificity of 81.5% and ROC of 0.852 allows not only to assume the presence of active inflammation in the wall of the affected intestinal segment, but also to monitor the dynamics of the process during treatment. Conclusion. In this work, the capabilities of POCUS for the diagnosis of IBD were evaluated. Correct and accurate interpretation of POCUS findings is not only an important diagnostic step, but also a complement to other radiation and endoscopic imaging techniques. The main advantage of POCUS over CT and MRI is its fast availability, low cost, and high level of safety. An experienced ultrasound doctor is needed to examine the gastrointestinal tract, so training with ultrasound doctors and mastering practical skills is key to ensuring the effective use of POCUS.