Introduction
Methods
Expert panel selection
Consensus process
Step 1—Questionnaire construction
Step 2—Questionnaire completion
Step 3—Literature search
Search details
| Time period: January 1983–December 2015 |
---|---|
Medline search
| |
1 | Crohn’s disease |
2 | Crohn [tiab] |
3 | Inflammatory bowel disease |
4 | 1 OR 2 OR 3 |
5 | Computed tomography |
6 | CT [tiab] |
7 | MRI |
8 | “Magnetic resonance” [All fields] OR (“magnetic” [All fields] AND “resonance” [All fields]) |
9 | Ultrasound |
10 | 5 OR 6 OR 7 OR 8 OR 9 |
11 | 4 AND 10 |
Embase search
| |
1 | Crohn’s disease.ab,ti,sh,kw |
2 | Inflammatory bowel disease.ab,ti,sh,kw |
3 | 1 OR 2 |
4 | Computer Assisted Tomography.ab,ti,sh,kw |
5 | Exp Computer Assisted Tomography/ |
6 | Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging.ab,ti,sh,kw |
7 | Exp Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging/ |
8 | Echography.ab,ti,sh,kw |
9 | Exp echography/ |
10 | 4 OR 5 OR 6 OR 7 OR 8 OR 9 |
11 | 3 AND 10 |
Cochrane search
| |
1 | Crohn disease [Mesh] |
2 | Inflammatory bowel disease [Mesh] |
3 | 1 OR 2 |
4 | Diagnostic techniques and procedures [Mesh] |
5 | 3 AND 4 |
Step 4—Draft consensus statements
Step 5—Committee voting
Step 6—Construction of final consensus statements
Results
Panel members performing routinely | Mean annual case load | |
---|---|---|
MRE | 13 | 313 |
MR enteroclysis | 4 | 14 |
CTE | 8 | 70 |
CT enteroclysis | 4 | 23 |
US | 5 | 110 |
Statement |
• It is recommended that the minimal volume of oral contrast for dedicated MRE/MR enteroclysis or CTE/CT enteroclysis is 500 ml (IV)
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• Splitting the oral contrast into two loads and scanning after ingestion of each to improve small bowel distension is not recommended (V)
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• The optimal field strength for MRE/MR enteroclysis is 1.5 T (IV)
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• It is recommended to split-the dose of spasmolytics before T2W sequences and before contrast-enhanced T1W sequences (V)
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• It is recommended to routinely use small bowel motility sequences during MRE (V)
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• It is recommended to routinely use an axial diffusion-weighted sequence during MRE/MR enteroclysis (V)
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• It is recommended that if a spasmolytic is used, and hyoscine butylbromide is unavailable/ contraindicated, a second-line agent is employed during CTE/CT enteroclysis |
• It is recommended to administer a spasmolytic before MRE in the paediatric population (V)
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• It is recommended that if CT scanning is used in the paediatric population, no specific preparation is usually required although administration of positive oral contrast could be considered; for example, prior to percutaneous drainage of abscesses (V)
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ADULT PATIENTS
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1. Patient preparation and basic technique—MRE/MR enteroclysis/CTE/CT enteroclysis
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Patient preparation—general
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• It is recommended that routine medications should not be stopped (V)
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• It is recommended that patients should not eat any solid food for 4-6 h (V)
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• It is recommended that patients should not drink any fluid for 4-6 h, although non-sparkling water is permissible (V)
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Basic technique—MRE and CTE
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• There is no single preferred contrast agent for MRE or CTE. Recommended agents include mannitol (with or without locust bean gum), PEG, sorbitol and lactulose amongst others (III)
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• The optimal volume of oral contrast is 1,000-1,500 ml (III)
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• It is recommended that ingestion time of oral contrast without previous major small bowel resection should be 46-60 min (V)
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• It is recommended that when scanning patients with a stoma, the stoma should be plugged before oral contrast ingestion (V)
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• It is not recommended that laxative bowel preparation is administered (V)
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• It is not recommended that a rectal water enema is administered before a routine examination (V)
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• It is recommended to administer a liquid enema or prolonged oral contrast preparation without laxative for dedicated colonic evaluation during CTE or MRE (III)
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• It is recommended to use water as the distension agent if a liquid rectal enema is used for dedicated colonic evaluation (V)
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• It is recommended that the volume of a water rectal enema is based on patient tolerance if used for dedicated colonic evaluation (V)
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Basic technique—MR enteroclysis and CT enteroclysis
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• There is no single preferred contrast agent for MR enteroclysis. Recommended agents include mannitol (with or without locust bean gum), PEG, sorbitol and lactulose amongst others (III)
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• There is no single preferred contrast agent for CT enteroclysis. Recommended agents include mannitol (with or without locust bean gum), PEG, sorbitol, lactulose and water amongst others (III)
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• Fluoroscopic guidance for NJ tube insertion prior to MR enteroclysis/ CT enteroclysis is mandatory (V)
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• It is recommended that the NJ tube for MR enteroclysis and CT enteroclysis should be 8-10 F(V)
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• It is recommended that contrast infusion before MR enteroclysis or CT enteroclysis should be via an automated pump (V)
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• It is recommended that the rate of contrast infusion before MR enteroclysis or CT enteroclysis should be between 80 and 120 ml/min (V)
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• MRI fluoroscopic monitoring of small bowel filling during MR enteroclysis is mandatory (V)
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• It is recommended that enteric contrast progression should be monitored on the MRI table during MR enteroclysis (V)
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• It is recommended that enteric contrast progression should be monitored on the CT table during CT enteroclysis (V)
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• The optimal volume of enteric contrast for MR enteroclysis or CT enteroclysis should be based on monitoring using MRI/CT (V)
Positioning
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• It is recommended that patients can be scanned prone or supine during MRE, CTE, MR enteroclysis or CT enteroclysis (III)
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2. MRE/MR enteroclysis—technical considerations and sequences selection
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Hardware
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• Both 1.5 and 3 T are adequate field strengths (II)
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• The use of phased-array coils is mandatory (V)
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Spasmolytic agents
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• It is recommended that spasmolytic agents are administered during MRE and MR enteroclysis (II)
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• The timing of spasmolytic agent administration should take into account the susceptibility of the applied MRI sequences to motion artefact (V)
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• The recommended first line spasmolytic agent is i.v. hyoscine butylbromide (V)
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• The recommended dose of i.v. hyoscine butylbromide is 20 mg (III)
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• It is recommended to use a second line spasmolytic agent if the first line agent cannot be given (V)
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• The recommended second line agent is i.v. glucagon (V)
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• The recommended dose of i.v. glucagon is 1 mg (V)
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Recommended sequences
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• It is recommend to use the following sequences (V)
a) Axial and coronal fast spin echo (FSE) T2W sequences without fat saturation |
b) Axial and coronal steady state free precession gradient echo (SSFP GE) sequences without fat saturation |
c) An axial or coronal FSE T2W sequence with fat saturation |
d) Non-enhanced coronal T1W sequence with fat saturation followed by contrast-enhanced coronal and axial T1W sequences with fat saturation |
e) In patients with known or suspected inflammatory bowel disease, contrast-enhanced sequences should be in the enteric (45 s) or portal venous phase (70 s) |
f) In patients with suspected chronic GI bleeding contrast-enhanced sequences is should be in the arterial (30 s), enteric (45 s) or portal venous phase (70 s) phase |
• It is recommended that i.v. gadolinium is pump-injected with an infusion rate of 2 ml/s and a dosage of 0.1–0.2 mmol/kg (V)
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• It is recommended that the maximal slice thickness for FSE T2W and SSFP GE sequences should be 5 mm (V)
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• It is recommend that FSE T2W sequences may be performed in either 2D or 3D, although 2D is preferred. (V)
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• It is recommended that the maximal slice thickness for axial and coronal T1W sequences, should be 3 mm (V)
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• It is recommended that T1W sequences should be performed in 3D (V)
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Optional sequences
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• Optional additional sequences include an additional FSE T2W sequence with fat saturation, axial and coronal SSFP GE sequences with fat saturation, cine motility and diffusion weighted imaging (V)
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• It is recommended that a free breathing technique is used if diffusion-weighted sequences are performed (IV)
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• It is recommended that diffusion-weighted sequences should include lower b values ranging from 0 or 50 and upper b values ranging from 600 to 900 (IV)
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• It is recommended that the maximal slice thickness for a diffusion-weighted sequence should be 5 mm (V)
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• Coronal diffusion-weighted sequences are not recommended (V)
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• Dynamic contrast-enhanced sequences are not mandatory, but may provide additional information in the form of quantitative measurements of contrast enhancement (V)
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• Magnetization transfer sequences are not recommended (V)
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Scan coverage and duration
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• It is recommended that scan coverage should include at least the small bowel and colon extended to include the perineum (V)
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• It is recommended that in general the total acquisition time for should be equal to or less than 30 min (V)
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3. CTE/CT enteroclysis—technical considerations
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Hardware
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• MDCT with at least 64 slices is optimal (V)
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• MDCT with 16 slices or more is considered adequate (V)
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Spasmolytic agents
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• The use of a spasmolytic agent during CTE/CT enteroclysis is optional (V)
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• It is recommended that if a spasmolytic is used the first line agent is i.v. hyoscine butylbromide (V)
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• The recommended dose of i.v. hyoscine butylbromide is 20 mg (IV)
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• The recommended second line agent is i.v. glucagon (V)
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Scan acquisition
—
general
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• It is recommended that a variable tube current is used, according to the tube voltage used and patient body habitus, but should be kept as low as possible (V)
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• It is recommended to use automatic exposure control (III)
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• It is recommended that scan coverage should include the whole abdomen and pelvis including the liver (V)
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• It is recommended that image-based or raw data-based iterative reconstruction is used if available (III)
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• The use of multiplanar reformats is mandatory (III)
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• It is recommended that the maximal slice thickness for displaying axial, coronal and sagittal reconstructed images should be 3 mm (V)
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• It is recommended that CT acquisition should be cranio-caudal (V)
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• It is recommended that an upper dose exposure limit is defined (V)
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• It is recommended that the cumulative value of radiation dose should be recorded, especially in patients affected by chronic conditions resulting in repeat CT imaging (V)
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Scan acquisition
—
known or suspected inflammatory bowel disease
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• It is recommended that either an enteric phase or portal venous phase acquisition is performed (III)
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• Additional acquisitions including pre-contrast, arterial, and delayed phase (6-7 min) are not recommended (V)
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• It is recommended that i.v. iodinated contrast should be pump injected at rate of 3-5 ml/s (V)
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• It is recommended that i.v. iodinated contrast iodine content is within a range of 300-370 mg/ml (V)
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• It is recommended that the i.v. iodinated contrast iodine dose should be varied according to the patients’ weight at 1.5 ml/kg (V)
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• It is recommended that the tube voltage should be within a range of 80-120 according to the patient body habitus (V)
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Scan acquisition
—
suspected underlying GI bleeding
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• Arterial and portal phases acquisitions are mandatory (V)
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• It is recommended that i.v. iodinated contrast should be pump injected at rate of 3-5 ml/s (V)
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• It is recommended that the i.v. iodinated contrast iodine dose should be varied according to the patients’ weight (V)
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• It is recommended that the tube voltage should be within a range of 80-140 according to the patient body habitus (V)
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4. Patient preparation and basic technique—enteric US
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Patient preparation
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• It is recommended that patients should be nil by mouth for solids for 4-6 h (V)
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• It is recommended patients should not drink any fluid for 4-6 h prior to the procedure, although water is permissible. If examination of the extra enteric organs is performed, patients should be nil by mouth as per standard protocols (V)
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Hardware
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• It is recommended that evaluation with both low and high frequency probes is performed (III)
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• The optimal probe frequency for high resolution bowel imaging is 8-10 MHz (V)
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Basic technique
—
enteric US
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• It is not recommended that laxative bowel preparation is administered (V)
|
• It is not recommended that a rectal water enema is administered before a routine examination (V)
|
• Use of an spasmolytic agent is not recommended (V)
|
• It is recommended that for dedicated colonic evaluation, a standard protocol without specific modification is used (V)
|
Basic technique
—
hydrosonography
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• It is not recommended that laxative bowel preparation is administered (V)
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• The use of a spasmolytic agent is not recommended (V)
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• There is no single preferred contrast agent for hydosonography. Recommended agents include mannitol (with or without locust bean gum), PEG, sorbitol and lactulose amongst others (V)
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• It is recommended that the optimal volume of oral contrast for should exceed 500 ml (V)
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• It is recommended that ingestion time of oral contrast should be 45 min (V)
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Doppler and IV contrast
—
US and hydrosonography
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• It is recommended to routinely use colour Doppler (II)
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• The optimal Doppler flow setting is between 1 and 8 cm/s (V)
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• Routine use of i.v. US contrast agent is not recommended (V)
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• If i.v. contrast agent is given, the optimal dose of sulphur hexafluoride is 2.4-4.8 ml (III)
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• If i.v. contrast agent is given, the standard number of boluses of sulphur hexafluoride is 1 (V)
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• If i.v. contrast agent is given, the maximum dose of sulphur hexafluoride is 4.8 ml (V)
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• Scanning between 10 and 40 s after administration of sulphur hexafluoride i.v. contrast is mandatory (IV)
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• Perfusion or time-intensity curves (e.g. ratio max enhancement/baseline) are not recommended (V)
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• It is recommended that peak enhancement after contrast injection is measured (V)
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Scan coverage
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• It is recommended that formal reporting of enteric US should state whether the extra enteric organs were examined or not (V)
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PAEDIATRIC PATIENTS—SPECIFIC CONSIDERATIONS
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1. Patient preparation and basic technique—MRE/MR enteroclysis
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Patient preparation
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• It is recommended that children aged 6-9 should not eat any solid food for 2-4 h (V)
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• It is recommended that children aged 6-9 should not undergo fluid restriction (V)
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• It is recommended that children aged over 9 years should not eat any solid food for 4-6 h (V)
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• It is recommended that children aged over 9 years should not undergo fluid restriction (V)
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Basic technique—MRE
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• It is recommended that the optimal volume of oral contrast for MRE or CTE is 20 ml/kg with a maximum up to 25 ml/kg (V)
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• It is recommended that the use of a spasmolytic agent is optional (V)
|
• The recommended first line spasmolytic agent is i.v. hyoscine butylbromide, if a spasmolytic is used (V)
|
• The recommended dose of hyoscine butylbromide is 0.5 mg/kg i.v. (V)
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• The recommended second line agent is i.v. glucagon, if a spasmolytic agent is used (V)
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• The recommended dose of glucagon in the paediatric population is 0.5 mg (<24.9 kg) and 1 mg (>24.9 kg), given as a slow infusion with i.v. saline at an infusion rate at 1 ml/s (V)
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• The recommended dose of i.v. gadolinium is 0.1 mmol/kg (V)
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• It is recommended that the total scan duration should equal to or be less than 45 min (V)
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2. Patient preparation and basic technique—CTE/CT enteroclysis
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• Use of CT scanning in children should be limited to exceptional circumstances, when US and/or MRE cannot address the clinical question (V)
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• It is recommended that if CT scanning is used, only a portal phase from the diaphragm to the pubic symphysis is acquired (V)
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3. Patient preparation and basic technique—enteric US
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Patient preparation
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• It is recommended that children aged 1-9 should not eat any solid food for 2-4 h (V)
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• It is recommended that children aged 1-9 years should be nil by mouth for carbonated and milk beverages for 2-4 h. Ingestion of still water or non-carbonated fruit juice is recommended (V)
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• It is recommended that children aged over 9 years should not eat any solid food for 4-6 h (V)
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• It is recommended that children aged over 9 years should be nil by mouth for carbonated and milk beverages for 4-6 h. Ingestion of still water or non-carbonated fruit juice is recommended (V)
|
Basic technique—enteric US
|
• Use of laxative bowel preparation is not recommended (V)
|
• Additional colonic distension with a rectal water enema is not recommended (V)
|
• It is recommended that for dedicated colonic evaluation, a standard protocol without specific modification is used (V)
|
• Use of a spasmolytic agent is not recommended (V)
|
Doppler and IV contrast
|
• The use of i.v. US contrast is not recommended (V)
|
Scan coverage
|
• It is recommended that scan coverage should include an abdominal and pelvic examination, including the liver (V)
|