Power Doppler sonography to predict the risk of surgical recurrence of Crohn’s disease

Purpose The aim of this work is to investigate the role of power Doppler sonography as an additional predictor of surgical recurrence in Crohn’s disease. Methods A sample of 33 patients, with ileal or ileocolonic Crohn’s disease, that had underwent intestinal resection, were retrospectively enrolled. All patients had bowel ultrasonography 7–16 months after resection. Power Doppler sonography of the preanastomotic ileum was evaluated as a possible prognostication tool to assess the risk of long-term need for reoperation. Results The absolute incidence of surgical recurrence in those who had a positive power Doppler was 42 %, while that of those who had a negative power Doppler was 28.6 %. Combining the power Doppler with bowel wall thickness, the surgical recurrence risk grew from 41.2 % of those with a positive power Doppler and thickness >3 mm to 55.6 % of those with a positive power Doppler and thickness >6 mm. Conclusions Power Doppler look to be another useful prediction tool for the personalization of patient’s care. It could be useful to perform power Doppler in all patients with a wall thickness >5 mm: for those who have a positive power Doppler it may be indicated as a more aggressive prophylactic therapy.