Intestinal ultrasound for monitoring postoperative Crohn’s disease: A systematic review and clinical implications

Table 4 Key studies evaluating the role of contrast enhanced ultrasound in the detection and characterization of postoperative recurrence in Crohn’s disease

Ref.	Year	Technique	Sample size	Thresholds	Key findings
Paredes et al[16]	2013	CEUS	60	BWT > 3 mm; CEUS > 34.5%, CEUS > 46%, CEUS > 70%	CEUS improved diagnostic accuracy for endoscopic recurrence to 98.3% with score 2 (BWT > 5 mm or enhancement > 46%). Score 3 (BWT > 5 mm, enhancement > 70%, or fistula) detected 94% of severe recurrence. AUC = 0.99 for recurrence
Martínez et al[4]	2019	CEUS	N/A	N/A	CEUS effectively differentiated inflammatory vs fibrotic lesions post-surgery. Reinforced role of CEUS in enhancing IUS precision and in early recurrence assessment

CEUS: Contrast enhanced ultrasound; BWT: Bowel wall thickness; AUC: Area under the curve; IUS: Intestinal ultrasound; N/A: Not applicable.