Detection of Crohn's disease: Comparison of CT and MR enterography without anti-peristaltic agents performed on the same day

Abstract

Objective: To directly compare CT enterography (CTE) and MR enterography (MRE) without antiperistaltic agents.

Materials/methods: 26 patients referred for CTE underwent CTE immediately followed by MRE without use of an anti-peristaltic agent. Each study was evaluated on a 10 point scale for exam quality, level of diagnostic confidence, and presence of Crohn's disease. Kappa analysis was performed to determine the degree of agreement between the CTE and MRE of each patient.

Results: 25 patients completed the MRE. The quality of the CTEs was judged as excellent by both readers (reader 1=average 9.5/10, reader 2=average 9.1/10). The quality of the MREs was ranked lower than the CTEs by both readers (reader 1=average 8.9/10, reader 2=average 7.2/10), which was statistically significant (p<0.05). The level of confidence in interpretation was not significantly different between CTE and MRE for reader 1 or 2 (p=0.3). There was substantial agreement between readers for the presence or absence of Crohn's disease on both CTE (kappa=0.75) and MRE (kappa=0.67).

Conclusion: MR enterography without anti-peristaltic agents results in high diagnostic confidence and excellent agreement for the presence of Crohn's disease.