Image-enhanced endoscopy and endoscopic resection practices in the colon among endoscopists in India.

Background and study aims Clinical practice patterns for image-enhanced endoscopy (IEE) and colonic endoscopic resection practices vary among endoscopists. We conducted a survey to understand the differences in IEE and colonoscopic resection practices among endoscopists from India. Methods An online cross-sectional survey comprising 40 questions regarding quality control of colonoscopy, IEE, and colonic endoscopic resection practices was circulated through the registry of the Indian Society of Gastroenterology and Association of Colon and Rectal Surgeons of India. Participation was voluntary and response to all questions was compulsory. Results There were 205 respondents to the survey (93.2 % gastroenterologists, 90.2 % male, 54.6 % aged 30 to 40 years, 36.1 % working in academic institution, 36.1 % working in corporate hospitals). Of the endoscopists, 50.7 % had no training in IEE and 10.7 % performed endoscopy on systems without any IEE modalities. Endoscopists with more experience were more likely to use IEE modalities in practice routinely ( P  = 0.007). Twenty percent never used IEE to classify polyps. Sixty percent of respondents did not use dye-chromoendoscopy. Less experienced endoscopists used viscous solutions as submucosal injectate ( P  = 0.036) more often. Of the respondents, 44 % never tattooed the site of endoscopic resection. Ablation of edges post-endoscopic mucosal resection was not done by 25.5 % respondents. Most respondents used electronic chromoendoscopy (36.1 %) or random four-quadrant sampling (35.6 %) for surveillance in inflammatory bowel disease. Surveillance post-endoscopic resection was done arbitrarily by 24 % respondents at 6 months to 1 year. Conclusions There are several lacunae in the practice of IEE and colonic endoscopic resection among endoscopists, with need for programs for privileging, credentialing and proctoring these endoscopic skills.

Utility of bowel ultrasound in assessing disease activity in Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS) has been used increasingly for monitoring inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of GIUS in assessing disease activity in Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS: Consecutive patients with CD (diagnosis established for at least 6 months) between July 2017 and July 2018 requiring assessment of disease activity were prospectively assessed by magnetic resonance enterography, colonoscopy (CS), and GIUS within a 2-week period and without any change in ongoing treatment. Features on GIUS which correlated with disease activity were assessed. Sensitivity and specificity of the GIUS in assessing disease activity and localization were calculated. RESULTS: Thirty-five patients were enrolled in the study. Bowel wall thickness (BWT) ≥ 3 mm and Doppler activity ≥ 2 had the highest sensitivity (100% and 95.6%, respectively) for detecting active disease on CS. BWT ≥ 3 mm had sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 100%, 83.3%, 92%, and 100%, respectively for assessing active disease. Combination of median BWT, Doppler activity, and loss of bowel wall stratification correlated with simplified endoscopic score (SES) for CD (r = 0.8, p 0.009) and Harvey-Bradshaw index (HBI, r = 0.76, p 0.04). For localizing active disease in the ileum, GIUS had a sensitivity of 93.7%, 80% for lesions in the right colon, 100% for transverse colon, and 89% for the left colon. Specificity was 100% for ileal and colonic lesions. CONCLUSION: Loss of stratification, BWT, and Doppler activity in the bowel wall correlate with endoscopic and clinical disease activity in CD. GIUS is a sensitive modality in assessing disease activity in CD.