Funding outcome

It is important to have reliable, safe, non-invasive, pain free and easily accessible tools for measuring disease activity and response to therapy in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) given the risks of poorly controlled disease, including colon cancer. Effective and non-invasive ways of evaluating response to therapy is also of great importance for patients and caregivers. Ultrasound of the intestines, also known as transabdominal bowel ultrasound (TABUS), can be used to assess disease activity in adults and children with IBD, which includes Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis. TABUS is a safe and well-tolerated method of looking at large and small bowel to assess disease activity and can be performed by a trained gastroenterologist at the bedside during routine clinic visits, providing added convenience for families and immediate results without radiation, sedation or intravenous access. Children with IBD could benefit significantly from using TABUS to monitor disease activity, however there is limited information about this in children. In our study gastroenterologists will performed TABUS on PIBD patients at routine clinic follow-up appointments over one year from diagnosis to see how they respond to treatment. We will compare these results to the usual way of assessing disease activity, including symptoms, blood work and endoscopy. These data can be used to empower children with IBD, and their caregivers, to see how their disease is responding to medical therapy in real time at the beside without risk or pain. The results can then be used to create guidelines on using TABUS to minimize stress and improve care and quality of life for children with IBD.