Review
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025.
World J Gastroenterol. Jul 14, 2025; 31(26): 107419
Published online Jul 14, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i26.107419
Table 2 Defining radiologic findings on magnetic resonance enterography in Crohn’s disease[19,21,28,42,44,97-105]
Radiological item
Definition
Mural thickening[97]Increased bowel wall thickness; > 3 mm generally considered abnormal
Mural oedema[98]Mural hyperintensity on T2-weighted fat-suppressed image
Peri-mural oedema/fat stranding[19]Loss of distinction between the bowel wall and mesentery with hyperintensity or fluid in the mesenteric fat on T2-weighted fat-suppressed image
Mural contrast enhancement[99]Mural hyperintensity post intravenous contrast administration on T1-weighted image
Mesenteric lymphadenopathy[100]Enlargement of mesenteric lymph nodes
Ulceration[101]Mucosal based defect in the bowel wall filled with oral contrast material or enteric contents
Mural relative contrast enhancement[21]Quantitative relative measurement of mural intensity post intravenous contrast administration on T1-weighted image
Mural contrast enhancement pattern[98]Pattern of bowel wall contrast enhancement categorised as homogenous, mucosal or layered on post intravenous contrast T1-weighted image
Stricture[19]Luminal narrowing with pre-stenotic dilatation (≥ 3 cm) where luminal narrowing is defined as a reduction in luminal diameter of ≥ 50% compared to normal adjacent bowel
Probable stricture[42]Luminal narrowing without pre-stenotic dilatation (< 3 cm) where luminal narrowing is defined as a reduction in luminal diameter of ≥ 50% compared to normal adjacent bowel
Comb sign[102]Engorgement of the vasa recta with the appearance resembling a comb
Fistula[101]Abnormal communication tract between the bowel and another epithelial surface
Diffusion-weighted imaging hyperintensity[28]Hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted imaging identifies intestinal regions with restricted fluid diffusion
Apparent diffusion coefficient[28]Quantitative assessment of the regional fluid movement using diffusion-weighted imaging
Abscess[103]A collection of fluid characterised by border enhancement on post intravenous contrast T1-weighted image and central fluid hyperintensity on T2-weighted image
Disease length[44]Quantitative measurement of the length of the diseased bowel
Creeping fat[19]Increased presence of adipose tissue surrounding the diseased bowel segment
Haustral loss[105]Loss of haustral folds in the colon resulting in a featureless colon