Capsule Endoscopy versus Magnetic Resonance Enterography for Evaluation of Pediatric Small Bowel Crohn's Disease: Prospective Study.

Background: Magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) and capsule endoscopy (CE) are currently used for the evaluation of small bowel involvement in pediatric Crohn's disease (CD). Several studies have been conducted to investigate the usefulness and diagnostic accuracy of each test. However, only a few studies have been conducted to compare the performance of both tests in the assessment of pediatric small bowel CD upon diagnosis and during follow-up. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy and diagnostic consistency of CE and MRE for the evaluation of pediatric small bowel CD at the time of diagnosis and during follow-up.

Methods: Fifteen patients with pediatric CD were recruited for this study. They underwent MRE and CE concomitantly at the time of diagnosis and 10-12 weeks and one year after induction therapy for CD. MRE was interpreted using MRE global score (MEGS) and bowel wall inflammation severity diffusion-weighted imaging score (BWI-DWIS), whereas CE was interpreted using Lewis's score (LS). The two diagnostic modalities were then compared.

Results: Eleven patients completed MRE and CE at the time of diagnosis. Analysis of the results showed that LS had a strong correlation with MEGS and BIS-DWIS (ρ = 0.633, = 0.037, and ρ = 0.629, = 0.038, respectively). Nine patients completed three MREs and three CEs. LS significantly decreased throughout the sessions ( = 0.044), whereas MEGS and BIS-DWIS did not show any statistically significant changes. When LS was compared with MEGS and BIS-DWIS, both MRE indicators showed statistically significant differences throughout the sessions.

Conclusions: At the time of diagnosis, the severity indexes of MRE and CE showed very good agreement. However, throughout management, MRE and CE did not show consistent changes.