Trends in Percutaneous Embolization Procedures by Radiologists and Other Specialists.

PURPOSE: To evaluate utilization trends in percutaneous embolization among radiologists and nonradiologist providers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The nationwide Medicare Part B fee-for-service databases for 2005-2016 were used to evaluate percutaneous embolization codes. Six codes describing embolization procedures were reviewed. Physician providers were grouped as radiologists, vascular surgeons, cardiologists, nephrologists, other surgeons, and all others. RESULTS: The total volume of Medicare percutaneous embolization procedures increased from 20,262 in 2005 to 45,478 in 2016 (+125%). Radiologists performed 13,872 procedures in 2005 (68% of total volume) and 33,254 in 2016 (73% of total volume), a 140% increase in volume. While other specialists also increased the number of cases performed from 2005 to 2016, radiologists strongly predominated, performing 87% of arterial and 30% of venous procedures in 2016, more than any other single specialty. In 2014 and 2015, a sharp increase in venous embolization cases performed by nonradiologists preceded a sharp decrease in 2016, likely the result of complicated billing codes for venous procedures. Radiologists maintained a steady upward trend in the number of cases they performed during those years. CONCLUSIONS: The volume of percutaneous embolization procedures performed in the Medicare population increased from 2005 to 2016, reflecting a trend toward minimally invasive intervention. In 2016, radiologists performed nearly 10 times more arterial embolization procedures than the second highest specialty and more venous embolization procedures than any other single specialty.

Recent Trends in Endovascular and Surgical Treatment of Peripheral Arterial Disease in the Medicare Population.

OBJECTIVE. Although radiologists developed endovascular treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the 1960s, vascular surgeons and cardiologists have become increasingly involved in its application. The purpose of this study was to examine utilization trends in endovascular and surgical treatment of PAD in recent years in the Medicare population. CONCLUSION. Surgical treatment of PAD has decreased each year from 2011 to 2016, whereas endovascular treatment has increased each year. By 2016, Medicare patients who needed revascularization for PAD were more than four times as likely to undergo endovascular as they were to undergo surgical treatment. Between 2011 and 2016, radiologists, vascular surgeons, and cardiologists all increased their endovascular volume, but by 2016, vascular surgeons and cardiologists performed three of every four endovascular procedures for the Medicare population. While only 12% of the total endovascular procedures for PAD were performed in 2016, radiology has grown its procedural volume each year from 2011 through 2016.

Digital Era of Mobile Communications and Smartphones: A Novel Analysis of Patient Comprehension of Cancer-Related Information Available Through Mobile Applications.

Many Americans use smartphone-based mobile applications to acquire health information. Our study evaluated the readability of mobile application-based patient educational materials (PEMs) about five prevalent cancers in the United States. The Apple and Google mobile application marketplaces were queried for breast, colon, lung, prostate, and stomach cancer-related applications, which were subsequently screened for PEMs and assessed with 10 validated readability assessments. Twenty-one pertinent applications yielded 249 articles that were written at an 11.8 ± 2.3 grade level; only 12 (4.8%) articles were written below an eighth grade level. The majority of cancer-related PEMs were written at too difficult reading levels for American patients.

Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement and Retrieval Rates among Radiologists and Nonradiologists.

PURPOSE: To evaluate inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement and retrieval rates among radiologists, vascular surgeons, cardiologists, other surgeons, and all other health care providers for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries in the years 2012-2015. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The nationwide Medicare Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary Master Files were used to determine the volume and utilization rate of IVC filter placement, IVC filter repositioning, and IVC filter retrieval, which correspond to procedure codes 37191, 37192, and 37193, respectively. Procedural code 37193 was not available before 2012, so data were reviewed for the years 2012-2015. RESULTS: The total volume of Medicare IVC filter placement decreased from 57,785 in 2012 to 44,378 in 2015, with radiologists responsible for 60% of all filter placements. Volume of IVC filter placement declined across all specialties, including radiologists, who placed 33,744 in 2012 and 27,957 in 2015. In contrast, total retrieval of IVC filters increased from 4,060 removals in 2012 to 6,166 in 2015. Retrieval rate per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries increased from 11 in 2012 to 16 in 2015. Radiologists removed the bulk of the filters: 64% in both 2012 and 2015. Vascular surgeons, cardiologists, and other surgeons retrieved, respectively, 20%, 10%, and 5% of all IVC filters in 2012 and 22%, 9%, and 5% in 2015. CONCLUSIONS: From 2012 to 2015, IVC filter placement steadily decreased across all specialties. Retrieval rate of IVC filters continued to rise over the same period. Radiologists were responsible for the majority of IVC filter placements and retrievals.

Quantitative analysis of the level of readability of online emergency radiology-based patient education resources.

PURPOSE: The vast amount of information found on the internet, combined with its accessibility, makes it a widely utilized resource for Americans to find information pertaining to medical information. The field of radiology is no exception. In this paper, we assess the readability level of websites pertaining specifically to emergency radiology. METHODS: Using Google, 23 terms were searched, and the top 10 results were recorded. Each link was evaluated for its readability level using a set of ten reputable readability scales. The search terms included the following: abdominal ultrasound, abdominal aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, appendicitis, cord compression, CT abdomen, cholecystitis, CT chest, diverticulitis, ectopic pregnancy, epidural hematoma, dural venous thrombosis, head CT, MRI brain, MR angiography, MRI spine, ovarian torsion, pancreatitis, pelvic ultrasound, pneumoperitoneum, pulmonary embolism, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and subdural hematoma. Any content that was not written for patients was excluded. RESULTS: The 230 articles that were assessed were written, on average, at a 12.1 grade level. Only 2 of the 230 articles (1%) were written at the third to seventh grade recommended reading level set forth by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and American Medical Association (AMA). Fifty-two percent of the 230 articles were written so as to require a minimum of a high school education (at least a 12th grade level). Additionally, 17 of the 230 articles (7.3%) were written at a level that exceeded an undergraduate education (at least a 16th grade level). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of websites with emergency radiology-related patient education materials are not adhering to the NIH and AMA's recommended reading levels, and it is likely that the average reader is not benefiting fully from these information outlets. With the link between health literacy and poor health outcomes, it is important to address the online content in this area of radiology, allowing for patient to more fully benefit from their online searches.

A quantitative readability analysis of patient education resources from gastroenterology society websites.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The lay public frequently access and rely on online information as a source of their medical knowledge. Many medical societies are unaware of national patient education material guidelines and subsequently fail to meet them. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the readability of patient education materials within the medical field of gastroenterology. METHODS: Two hundred fourteen articles pertaining to patient education materials were evaluated with ten well-established readability scales. The articles were available on the websites for the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG), and the NIH section National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's honest significant difference (HSD) post hoc analysis were conducted to determine any differences in level of readability between websites. RESULTS: The 214 articles were written at an 11.8 ± 2.1 grade level with a range of 8.0 to 16.0 grade level. A one-way ANOVA and Tukey's HSD post hoc analysis determined the ACG was written at a significantly (p < 0.05) more difficult level when compared to the AGA, the BSG, and the NIDDK websites. No differences were noted when comparing the ASGE website. CONCLUSIONS: None of the patient education materials were written at a level that met national guidelines. If the materials are redrafted, the general American public will likely have a greater understanding of the gastroenterology content.

Minimally manipulative extraction of polycystic cervical neurocysticercosis.

CLINICAL HISTORY: Intradural, extramedullary cervical spinal involvement is an uncommon manifestation of neurocysticercosis. CASE REPORT: A case of a middle-aged man with neurocysticercosis in the intradural extramedullary cervical spine and brain who originally presented with bilateral paresthesias of his extremities, with a progressively unsteady gait. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed cystic enhancing lesions in the brain and cervical region of the spine, with the largest cyst extending from the posterior fossa through C2, causing spinal cord compression. The patient underwent surgical resection of the intradural extramedullary cervical spinal lesions, and he has continued to improve clinically, with no recurrence of cystic lesions. CONCLUSION: When examining patients with clinical signs of a spinal mass lesion, the differential diagnosis should include neurocysticercosis of the spine.

Colorectal cancer screening patient education materials-how effective is online health information?

PURPOSE: Patients screened for colorectal cancer (CRC) frequently turn to the Internet to improve their understanding of tests used for detection, including colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, fecal occult blood test (FOBT), and CT colonography. It was of interest to determine the quality and readability levels of online health information. METHODS: The screening tools were googled, and the top 20 results of each test were analyzed for readability, accessibility, usability, and reliability. The 80 articles excluded scientific literature and blogs. We used ten validated readability scales to measure grade levels, and one-way ANOVA and Tukey's honestly statistical different (HSD) post hoc analyses to determine any statistically significant differences among the four diagnostic tests. The LIDA tool assessed overall quality by measuring accessibility, usability, and reliability. RESULTS: The 80 articles were written at an 11.7 grade level, with CT colonography articles written at significantly higher levels than FOBT articles, F(3, 75) = 3.07, p = 0.033. LIDA showed moderate percentages in accessibility (83.9 %), usability (73.0 %), and reliability (75.9 %). CONCLUSIONS: Online health information about CRC screening tools are written at higher levels than the National Institute of Health (NIH) and American Medical Association (AMA) recommended third to seventh grade levels. More patients could benefit from this modality of information if it were written at a level and quality that would better facilitate understanding.

Health literacy and online educational resources: an opportunity to educate patients.

OBJECTIVE: Given the increasing accessibility of material on the Internet and the use of these materials by patients as a source of health care information, the purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the level of readability of resources made available on the European Society of Radiology website to determine whether these materials meet the health literacy needs of the general public as set forth by guidelines of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Medical Association (AMA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: All 41 patient education articles created by the European Society of Radiology (ESR) were downloaded and analyzed with the following 10 quantitative readability scales: the Coleman-Liau Index, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, FORCAST Formula, Fry Graph, Gunning Fog Index, New Dale-Chall, New Fog Count, Raygor Reading Estimate, and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook. RESULTS: The 41 articles were written collectively at a mean grade level of 13.0 ± 1.6 with a range from 10.8 to 17.2. For full understanding of the material, 73.2% of the articles required the reading comprehension level of, at minimum, a high school graduate (12th grade). CONCLUSION: The patient education resources on the ESR website are written at a comprehension level well above that of the average Internet viewer. The resources fail to meet the NIH and AMA guidelines that patient education material be written between the third and seventh grade levels. Recasting these resources in a simpler format would probably lead to greater comprehension by ESR website viewers.

A critical review of the readability of online patient education resources from RadiologyInfo.Org.

OBJECTIVE: Health consumers and their families rely on the Internet as a source of authoritative information regarding the procedures used to reach a diagnosis, effect treatment, and influence prognosis. In radiology, online materials can be a means by which to offer patients comprehensible explanations of the capabilities, the risks and rewards, and the techniques under our purview. Consequently, estimations of health literacy should take into account the reading level of the average American when composing and transmitting such information to the lay public without the mediation of a referring physician. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In December 2012, patient education reports from the files of RadiologyInfo.org, a jointly sponsored website of the American College of Radiology and the Radiological Society of North America, were downloaded to assess their textual sophistication. All 138 patient education articles including the glossary were analyzed for their respective level of "readability" using the following 10 evaluative scales: Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook Grading, Coleman-Liau Index, Gunning Fog Index, New Dale-Chall scale, FORCAST, Fry graph, Raygor Readability Estimate, and New Fog Count. RESULTS: The 138 online patient education articles were written, on average, between the 10th and 14th grade levels, which exceeds both the American Medical Association and the National Institutes of Health recommendations that patient education resources be comprehensible to those who read no higher than the seventh grade level. CONCLUSION: Patients may accrue a greater benefit from written articles available on RadiologyInfo.org if the texts were revised to be in compliance with the National Institutes of Health and American Medical Association grade level recommendations. This could lead to a broadened appreciation of the capabilities of radiology's role in general and enhanced understanding of imaging techniques and their application to clinical practice.

Infection with bacteroides thetaiotaomicron during posterior decompression and dynamic stabilization of the lumbar spine: a case report and review of the literature.

Patient and surgical risk factors have often been implicated for postoperative posterior spinal wound infection. A 56-year-old male with widely disseminated multiple myeloma presented with severe back pain and lower extremity weakness as a result of fracture and collapse of the L4 vertebral body. Posterior decompression involving bilateral pedicle resection and partial L4 corpectomy was performed. Stabilization was performed by Dynesys instrumentation of L3-5, screw supplementation with polymethylmethacrylate, and posterolateral fusion was performed. Postoperatively, the patient suffered from multiple infections, including Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, which were eventually resolved with antibiotic as well as incision and debridement treatment regimens. In cases with numerous perioperative risk factors for infections, the best therapeutic approach may be a preventative one. An understanding of the relevant risk factors may enable the physician to facilitate a perioperative condition best suited for optimal treatment. A case report of infection with Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron during lumbar decompression and dynamic stabilization as well as a review of the literature regarding infection risk factors are presented.

Quality assessment of online patient education resources for peripheral neuropathy.

Given its practicality, the internet is a primary resource for patients afflicted with diseases like peripheral neuropathy. Therefore, it is important that the readily available online resources on peripheral neuropathy are tailored to the general public, particularly concerning readability. Patient education resources were downloaded from the US National Library of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Neuropathy.org, GBS/CIDP Foundation International, Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation, Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association, Foundation for Peripheral Neuropathy, and Neuropathy Action Foundation websites. All patient education material related to peripheral neuropathy was evaluated for its level of readability using the Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. The FRE scores averaged 43.4 with only the US National Library of Medicine scoring above 60 (76.5). The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores averaged 11.0. All scores were above a seventh-grade level except the US National Library of Medicine, which had a score of a fifth-grade reading level. Most Americans may not fully benefit from patient education resources concerning peripheral neuropathy education on many of the websites. Only the US National Library of Medicine, which is written at a fifth-grade level, is likely to benefit the average American.

Kinematics Following 3-Screw Integrated Interbody Spacers in the Lumbar Spine.

BACKGROUND: "Stand-alone" fusion implants attempt to alleviate the need for supplemental posterior instrumentation. OBJECTIVE: A biomechanical study was conducted to assess the stability of an integrated 3- screw interbody cage with, and without, supplemental posterior fixation. METHODS: Nondestructive biomechanical testing was performed on 19 healthy cadaver spine segments. Specimens were tested in 6 degrees of motion and a maximum pure bending moment of 10 Nm was applied. Specimens were evaluated in the following sequence: Intact, cage, cage ± facet bolts, and cage ± pedicle screws. Nonconstrained motion was measured at both the index and adjacent levels. RESULTS: The index levels were L2-L3 and L5-S1. The cage alone provided a significant decrease in motion at the L2-L3 level but not at L5-S1. At L2-L3, cage + pedicle screws decreased motion more effectively than cage + facet bolts, however, both the supplemented constructs outperformed intact (P < .05). At L5-S1, both posterior fixation systems appeared to have smaller degree of displacement compared to intact; however, no significant differences were observed at L5-S1 among the various constructs. Furthermore, the adjacent segments for each level (L1-L2 and L4-L5) had no significantly increased motion, compared to intact, for all 6 degrees of motion tested. CONCLUSION: The stand-alone cage was more effective at L2-L3, than at L5-S1, in limiting motion. At L5-S1, supplemental fixation may need to be considered. No abnormal motion was identified at the adjacent, normal segments, for the stand-alone, or the circumferential constructs at either level tested.

Patient Education and Engagement Through Multimedia: A Prospective Pilot Study on Health Literacy in Patients with Cerebral Aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Improving the comprehension and communication of patient education materials could augment patient participation in shared clinical decision making. Inadequate healthcare-oriented educational resources for patients with a newly diagnosed complex disease, such as a cerebral aneurysm, can lead to an insufficient understanding of their ailment. As such, we hypothesized that a PowerPoint-style educational intervention with grade-conscious (i.e., sixth grade level) written material accompanied by visual graphics would help improve patient health literacy and satisfaction. METHODS: A randomized prospective pilot study was conducted during a 1-year period in 2018. Preclinic encounter knowledge assessment surveys were administered to 52 patients with brain aneurysms (newly diagnosed or during follow-up) presenting for their neurosurgery outpatient clinic visit. The patients were assigned to 1 of 2 cohorts, with 26 each in the educational intervention group and control group, using a quasi-randomization method of alternating the assigned group for each successive patient. At the conclusion of their clinic encounter, all the patients completed a postclinic encounter knowledge assessment and satisfaction survey. Differences in covariates such as gender distribution, age, and family history of aneurysms were analyzed between the control and intervention groups. RESULTS: The overall study cohort had a high baseline knowledge about cerebral aneurysms with an average preclinic encounter score of 5.37 on the 7-question survey. The educational intervention resulted in an upward trend in the patient knowledge scores. No statistically significant difference was detected in the patient satisfaction scores between the intervention and control groups. However, most of the patients receiving the educational intervention reported that the educational material was easy to understand (95.7%), helpful (86.9%), and relevant (87%) to their clinic visit. CONCLUSION: Overall, in the present prospective study, the use of a multimedia-based educational intervention resulted in an upward trend in knowledge without a statistically significant difference in patient satisfaction scores compared with the control patients. To better measure the effectiveness of multimedia-based patient education interventions, future studies should account for the patients' baseline education level, preexisting educational resources available to study patients, socioeconomic factors, and emotional state.

A Readability Analysis of Online Cardiovascular Disease-Related Health Education Materials.

BACKGROUND: Online cardiovascular health materials are easily accessible with an Internet connection, but the readability of its content may limit practical use by patients. OBJECTIVE: The goal of our study was to assess the readability of the most commonly searched Internet health education materials for cardiovascular diseases accessed via Google. METHODS: We selected 20 commonly searched cardiovascular disease terms: aneurysm, angina, atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, coronary artery disease, deep vein thrombosis, heart attack, heart failure, high blood pressure, pericardial disease, peripheral arterial disease, rheumatic heart disease, stroke, sudden death, valvular heart disease, mini-stroke, lower extremity edema, pulmonary embolism, and exertional dyspnea. Terms were selected on Google and selected up to 10 results in order of presentation in the search results by reviewing a maximum of 15 pages of Google search results specifically providing education toward patients to yield 196 total patient education articles. KEY RESULTS: All readability measures assessing grade level measures found the 196 articles were written at a mean 10.9 (SD = 1.8) grade reading level. Moreover, 99.5% of the articles were written beyond the 5th- to 6th-grade level recommended by the American Medical Association. CONCLUSIONS: Given the prominent use of online patient education material, we consider readability as a quality metric that should be evaluated prior to online publication of any health education materials. Further study of how to improve the readability of online materials may enhance patient education, engagement, and health outcomes.

Nuclear Medicine and Resources for Patients: How Complex Are Online Patient Educational Materials?

The Internet is a major source of health care information for patients. The American Medical Association and the National Institutes of Health recommend that consumer health care websites be written at a third- to seventh-grade level. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of readability of patient education websites pertaining to nuclear medicine. Methods: We searched for 10 terms on Google, collected the top 10 links for each term, and analyzed their level of readability using 10 well-established readability scales. Results: Collectively, the 99 articles were written at a grade level of 11.8 (SD, 3.4). Only 5 of the 99 articles were written at the third- to seventh-grade level recommended by the National Institutes of Health and the American Medical Association. Conclusion: There is a clear discordance between the readability level of nuclear medicine-related imaging terms and the National Institutes of Health and American Medical Association guidelines. This discordance may have a negative impact on patient understanding, contributing to poor health outcomes.

Meralgia Paresthetica After Spine Surgery on the Jackson Table.

Meralgia paresthetica is a non-life-threatening neurological disorder characterized by numbness, tingling, and burning pain over the anterolateral thigh due to impingement of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. This disorder has been seen in patients with diabetes mellitus and obesity, but has also been observed in patients after procedures such as posterior spine surgery, iliac crest bone grafts, lumbar disk surgery, hernia repair, appendectomies, and pelvic osteotomies that ultimately lead to compression or damage to the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Overall, permanent sequelae of meralgia paresthetica are rare, however, some cases do require intervention.

An Assessment of Radiology Residency Program Websites.

PURPOSE: When prospective radiology residents decide where to apply to residency, many will use the Internet as a resource to garner information. Therefore, it is important for residency programs to produce and maintain an informative and comprehensive website. Here, we review 179 radiology residency program websites for 19 criteria including various aspects related to the residency application process, benefits, didactics, research, clinical training, and faculty leadership. METHODS: We evaluated 179 radiology residency program websites for the inclusion of 19 different criteria. Criteria for information not available directly on the website and links with no information were considered not present. RESULTS: Only 12 of the 179 (6.7%) program websites had at least 80% of the 19 criteria. In addition, 41 programs (23%) had less than 50% of the criteria listed on their websites. Websites ranged from having 16% of the criteria to as much as 95%. CONCLUSION: Although previous studies have shown that prospective radiology resident applicants are influenced by intangibles like current resident satisfaction and academic reputation, they have also shown that applicants are influenced by the educational curriculum, clinical training, program resources, research opportunities, and quality of faculty. Therefore, it is imperative to provide online resources for prospective candidates in an attempt for residency programs to remain competitive in recruiting high-quality US medical student graduates. These findings suggest there is room for improving the comprehensiveness of information provided on radiology residency program websites.

Radiology Online Patient Education Materials Provided by Major University Hospitals: Do They Conform to NIH and AMA Guidelines?

AIMS: The internet creates opportunities for Americans to access medical information about imaging tests and modalities to guide them in their medical decision-making. Owing to health literacy variations in the general population, the American Medical Association and National Institutes of Health recommend patient education resources to be written between the third and seventh grade levels. Our purpose is to quantitatively assess the readability levels of online radiology educational materials, written for the public, in 20 major university hospitals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In September and October 2016, we identified 20 major university hospitals with radiology residency-affiliated hospital systems. On each hospital׳s website, we downloaded all radiology-related articles written for patient use. A total of 375 articles were analyzed for readability level using 9 quantitative readability scales that are well validated in the medical literature. RESULTS: The 375 articles from 20 hospital systems were collectively written at an 11.4 ± 3.0 grade level (range: 8.4-17.1). Only 11 (2.9%) articles were written at the recommended third to seventh grade levels. Overall, 126 (33.6%) were written above a full high-school reading level. University of Washington Medical Center׳s articles were the most readable with a reading level corresponding to 7.9 ± 0.9. CONCLUSIONS: The vast majority of websites at major academic hospitals with radiology residencies designed to provide patients with information about imaging were written above the nationally recommended health literacy guidelines to meet the needs of the average American. This may limit the benefit that patients can derive from these educational materials.

Fecal Myeloperoxidase as a Biomarker for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic condition involving the inflammation of the colon and small intestine. IBD affects as many as 1.4 million people in the U.S. alone and costs the health care industry over $1.7 billion annually. Managing IBD normally requires invasive and often discomforting diagnostic tests. In an effort to alleviate the painful and costly nature of traditional diagnosis, there has been increasing research initiative focused on noninvasive biomarkers. PubMed, provided by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health, was utilized with the following search terms: 1) myeloperoxidase (MPO) 2), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and 3) neutrophils. The following terms were used interchangeably with search terms 1-3: 4) costs, 5) biomarkers, 6) review, and 7) etiology. In the context of IBD, myeloperoxidase (MPO), a lysosomal protein found in neutrophils, may serve as a viable biomarker for assessing disease status. Several studies demonstrated increased levels of neutrophils in patients with active IBD. Furthermore, studies have found significantly higher levels of MPO in patients with active IBD compared to patients without IBD as well as patients with inactive IBD. MPO is also expressed in higher concentrations in patients with more severe forms of IBD. When measuring treatment efficacy, MPO levels are indicative of the quality of response. MPO may serve as an important diagnostic and prognostic tool in assessing IBD status.