Researchers at Michigan Medicine C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital have developed a new simplified version of the colonoscopy score to accurately measure the severity of Crohn’s disease in the lining of the gut, according to a news release from the university.
The new Simplified Endoscopic Mucosal Assessment for Crohn’s Disease, or SEMA-CD, measures the amount of inflammation and damage to the lining of the intestines visualized through a colonoscopy – or what’s known as endoscopic mucosal improvement or healing.
This scoring tool replicates the gold standard method for evaluating whether therapy is successfully healing inflammation but in a more efficient way that can be used for patients of all ages, according to findings in journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
The five-point ranking colonoscopy score is the first to be developed and tested in children, the university said.
Researchers validated the new scoring tool through evaluations of 57 recorded pediatric colonoscopies. Pediatric gastroenterologists from across the country evaluated them and scored them blindly using both the new colonoscopy scores and old ones (known as Simple Endoscopic Score for Crohn’s Disease (SES-CD).
They found that patients who have more severe or extensive mucosal inflammation tend to have a more aggressive clinical course. Achieving mucosal improvement is associated with improved disease outcomes and a higher likelihood of maintaining sustained steroid-free clinical remission.
