Role of artificial intelligence in imaging and endoscopy for the diagnosis, monitoring and prognostication of inflammatory bowel disease: a scoping review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are immune-mediated conditions that are increasing in incidence and prevalence worldwide. Their assessment and monitoring are becoming increasingly important, though complex. The best disease control is achieved through tight monitoring of objective inflammatory parameters (such as serum and stool inflammatory markers), cross-sectional imaging and endoscopic assessment. Considering the complexity of the information obtained throughout a patient's journey, artificial intelligence (AI) provides an ideal adjunct to existing tools to help diagnose, monitor and predict the course of disease of patients with IBD. Therefore, we propose a scoping review assessing AI's role in diagnosis, monitoring and prognostication tools in patients with IBD. We aim to detect gaps in the literature and address them in future research endeavours. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We will search electronic databases, including Medline, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL Complete, Web of Science and IEEE Xplore. Two reviewers will independently screen the abstracts and titles first and then perform the full-text review. A third reviewer will resolve any conflict. We will include both observational studies and clinical trials. Study characteristics will be extracted using a data extraction form. The extracted data will be summarised in a tabular format, following the imaging modality theme and the study outcome assessed. The results will have an accompanying narrative review. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Considering the nature of the project, ethical review by an institutional review board is not required. The data will be presented at academic conferences, and the final product will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Early Intestinal Ultrasound Response to Biologic Therapy Predicts Endoscopic Remission in Children with Ileal Crohn's Disease: Results from the Prospective Super Sonic Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: STRIDE-II recommends early biomarker targets for treatment optimization to achieve treat-to-target (T2T) endoscopic remission (ER) in Crohn's disease (CD). Predictive capabilities of intestinal ultrasound (IUS) for T2T ER remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate IUS response to predict ER in children with CD. METHODS: Prospective longitudinal cohort study of children with ileal (TI) CD initiating biologic therapy undergoing IUS, clinical disease activity, and C-reactive protein (CRP) assessments at baseline, week 8, 6 months, and T2T within 1 year. Primary outcome was the accuracy of optimal cut-points to predict TI ER (SES-CD < 2) for change in bowel wall thickness (BWT) on IUS from baseline to week 8, and BWT at week 8. Area under the receiver operating curve analysis was performed and univariate analysis tested associations. RESULTS: 44 children (median age 13 [IQR 12-17] years, 29 (66%) biologic naïve) were included, 29 (66%) achieved ER. A > 18% decrease in TI BWT at week 8 predicted ER with an AUROC of 0.99 [95% CI 0.98-1.00], 100% sensitivity, 93% specificity, 97% PPV, and 100% NPV, superior to a > 46% decrease in PCDAI (AUROC 0.67 [95% CI 0.49-0.84]) and > 84% decrease in CRP (AUROC 0.49 [95% CI 0.31-0.67]) at week 8. CONCLUSIONS: Early change in TI BWT on IUS is highly predictive of ER in children with CD and superior to symptoms and CRP. Our findings suggest that IUS could be used for treatment optimization and tight control to guide T2T strategy.

Point-of-Care Intestinal Ultrasound in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is an emerging non-invasive point-of-care tool utilized by pediatric gastroenterologists for accurately detecting and monitoring inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity. In this article, we reviewed the evidence supporting and technique to perform IUS for children with IBD. RECENT FINDINGS: IUS technique can visualize the colon from the distal sigmoid until the cecum and the terminal ileum without the need for bowel preparation, fasting, or sedation in children with IBD. IUS has been shown to be accurate to endoscopy in children with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. IUS may be the most accurate biomarker to follow as a marker of treatment response that is predictive of endoscopic outcomes in children with IBD. Multiple studies have demonstrated that IUS can be performed at the point-of-care for IBD activity assessment in children. Recent studies have demonstrated the accuracy of IUS to endoscopy and magnetic resonance enterography with an ability to be repeated as a monitor of treatment response for tight control monitoring.

The Role of Noninvasive Surrogates of Inflammation in Monitoring Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: The Old and the New.

Effectiveness of limited available therapies for pediatric inflammatory bowel disease has reached stagnation. Previous non-invasive monitoring strategies have relied upon cumbersome tools to evaluate clinical symptoms and biochemical markers that do not reflect endoscopic activity or respond quickly to treatments. Novel, patient-centric, and highly accurate, monitoring strategies with a focus on intestinal ultrasound for a direct, precise monitoring of activity to achieve disease modification are now possible. Ultimately, research on the optimal tight control monitoring strategies, individualized to each pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patient, are in development and offer a hope to potential therapeutic ceiling breakthrough on the horizon.