Systematic Review: Clinical Utility of Gastrointestinal Ultrasound in the Diagnosis, Assessment and Management of Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

Background and Aims: Gastrointestinal ultrasound is useful in the assessment of patients with Crohn's disease, but its application in ulcerative colitis [UC] is less well established. Here we systematically review the role of gastrointestinal ultrasound in patients with UC. Methods: Searches of the PUBMED and EMBASE databases were performed with the following search strategy: [ultrasound OR sonography] AND [intestinal OR bowel] AND [ulcerative colitis OR inflammatory bowel disease]. The final search was performed in August 2019. Results: Of 6769 studies identified in the search with a further two studies found from other sources, 50 studies met the inclusion criteria. Increased bowel wall th..