The association between endoscopic and histological inflammation in ulcerative colitis Klaus Theede, MD Gastrounit, Medical Division Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre Denmark
Disclosures The study was supported by grants from AbbVie Inc. Ferring Pharmaceuticals
Mucosal healing Mucosal healing has emerged as a key treatment goal in ulcerative colitis making endoscopy an important part of disease monitoring Endoscopic evaluation of treatment response is now widely recommended Histological acute inflammation despite endoscopic mucosal healing is present in some patients and carries an increased risk of relapse Riley et al, GUT, Bessissow et al, Am J Gastroenterol, 2012
Methods 76 patients comprising both active and inactive ulcerative colitis underwent sigmoideoscopy and rectal biopsies. 1 Travis et al, GUT 2012 Endoscopic evaluation of the inflammation: Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity Newly developed scoring system 1 Composite system 3 different descriptors Vascular pattern Bleeding Presence of erosions/ulcers Mayo Endoscopic Score Widely implemented in daily practice and clinical trials Patients divided into 4 categories with increasing inflammatory activity
Methods Sections from the biopsies were evaluated by two independent “blind” pathologists for the inflammatory activity using a four-point grading system (0-3), which included extent of cryptitis and crypt abscesses as well as the presence of erosions/ulcers. The chronicity of the inflammation was not evaluated 0 (0 %) 1 (< 10 %) 2 (10 – 50 %) 3 (> 50 %) Cryptitis Crypt abscess Erosions/ulcers (absent vs. present)
Results Age (years)38 (19-76) Gender Male Female 32 (42 %) 44 (58 %) Disease duration (years)5 years ( ) Endoscopic activity Active (Mayo = 1-3) Inactive (Mayo = 0) 45 (59.2 %) 31 (40.8 %) Disease extent Proctitis Procto-sigmoiditis Left-sided or pancolitis 15 (33 %) 10 (22 %) 20 (44 %)
Results Mayo Endoscopic Score UCEIS 0123Total Total Gamma: 0.99, CI95% (0.98-1)
Results UCEIS Histology Total Total Mayo Endoscopic Score Histology 0123Total Total Gamma: 0.76, CI95% ( ) Gamma: 0.83, CI95% ( ) 15 % 19 %
Conclusion Strong, significant association between Mayo Endoscopic Score and Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity (UCEIS) Significant association between histological inflammation and the endoscopic grade of inflammation evaluated with both Mayo Endoscopic Score and Ulcerative Colitis Endoscopic Index of Severity
Conclusion Histological inflammation in % of the patients with endosopic mucosal healing residual inflammation from previous active disease? medical treatment? special phenotype? These patients seems to have a higher rate of relapse – we need to obtain biopsies routinely to identify these patients when endoscopy reveals mucosal healing
Acknowledgments and disclosures Co-workers Susanne Holck, MD, DMSc 1 Per Ibsen, MD 1 Inge Nordgaard-Lassen, MD, DMSc 2 Anette Mertz Nielsen, MD, DMSc 2 1 Department of Pathology, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Denmark 2 Gastrounit, Medical Division, Copenhagen University Hospital Hvidovre, Denmark