Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) is a nuclear imaging technique that provides noninvasive, three dimensional, quantitative images. Recently, PET-CT has been shown to be valuable in assessing patients with inflammatory diseases; however, the clinical utility of PET-CT in the evaluation of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not been defined. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the clinical utility of PET-CT in the evaluation of IBD.

Between November 2006 and September 2010, clinical, endoscopic, and radiological data on 14 patients (6 males and 8 females: age range, 33-79 years) with suspected IBD were collected. The standard work-up method for a definite diagnosis of IBD included ileocolonoscopy.

The 14 patients were divided into the following five groups: ulcerative colitis (n=4, 29%), intestinal Behcet's disease (n=3, 21%), intestinal tuberculosis (n=2, 14%), malignancy (n=2, 14%), and no abnormal findings with colonoscopy (n=3, 21%). A PET-CT based-diagnosis of IBD correlated with a colonoscopic diagnosis in nine cases (64.3%), but the matching ratio of the distribution of lesions between PET-CT findings and colonoscopic findings was only 18.1% (2/11).

The utility of PET-CT in the diagnosis of IBD requires further evaluation.