Using imaging to improve the prediction of disabling Crohn's Disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Magnetic resonance enterography as a predictor of disabling disease in newly diagnosed Crohn's Disease
IRAS ID
217422
Contact name
Stuart Taylor
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 2 months, 17 days
Research summary
Crohn’s disease (CD) is an inflammatory condition of the bowel that can sometimes be very severe ("disabling"), requiring powerful drugs or surgery. It is important to treat patients with disabling disease as early as possible, because this improves long-term health. However, it is not possible to give these powerful drugs to all patients, because of risks and side-effects. We need a better way to predict which patients will get disabling disease, and so most need this powerful treatment.
We have just completed a previous REC-approved study (called METRIC) to test the accuracy of bowel scanning (magnetic resonance enterography, MRE and ultrasound, US) when diagnosing CD. In the current study, we will not perform any new patient interventions or have any direct patient contact. Instead, we want to determine if these MRE and US scans (that the patients have already had) can not only DIAGNOSE Crohn’s, but also PREDICT who will get disabling disease in the future.
To make sure we have enough patients in the study to give meaningful answers, we will also study 76 more patients who have had MRE or US scans as part of normal care (i.e. not in the METRIC study). Since we need to know who develops severe (disabling) disease and who does not, we intend to monitor patients’ medical records for a longer period than originally planned in the METRIC study (increasing it from 6 months to an average of 5 years).
Once we know which patients have developed disabling disease, we will develop a statistical model to test if the MRE and US scans help make better predictions about future health. If this prediction model has promise, then we will recommend that it is tested in a separate group of patients, to prove that it works reliably for most patients with CD.
REC name
London - Hampstead Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/1930
Date of REC Opinion
26 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion