Non-radiologist-performed abdominal point-of-care ultrasonography in paediatrics — a scoping review

Background - Historically, US in the paediatric setting has mostly been the domain of radiologists. However, in the last decade, there has been an uptake of non-radiologist point-of-care US. Objective - To gain an overview of abdominal non-radiologist point-of-care US in paediatrics. Materials and methods - We conducted a scoping review regarding the uses of abdominal non-radiologist point-of-care US, quality of examinations and training, patient perspective, financial costs and legal consequences following the use of non-radiologist point-of-care US. We conducted an advanced search of the following databases: Medline, Embase and Web of Science Conference Proceedings. We included published original research studies describing abdominal non-radiologist point-of-care US in children. We limited studies to English-language articles from Western countries. Results - We found a total of 5,092 publications and selected 106 publications for inclusion: 39 studies and 51 case reports or case series on the state-of-art of abdominal non-radiologist point-of-care US, 14 on training of non-radiologists, and 1 each on possible harms following non-radiologist point-of-care US and patient satisfaction. According to included studies, non-radiologist point-of-care US is increasingly used, but no standardised training guidelines exist. We found no studies regarding the financial consequences of non-radiologist point-of-care US. Conclusion - This scoping review supports the further development of non-radiologist point-of-care US and underlines the need for consensus on who can do which examination after which level of training among US performers. More research is needed on training non-radiologists and on the costs-to-benefits of non-radiologist point-of-care US

Adherence to Polyethylene Glycol Treatment in Children with Functional Constipation Is Associated with Parental Illness Perceptions, Satisfaction with Treatment, and Perceived Treatment Convenience

Objectives: To assess treatment adherence in children with functional constipation and to evaluate the association with parental beliefs about medication, illness perceptions, treatment satisfaction, and satisfaction with information about medication. Study design: A cross-sectional survey was administered among parents of children with functional constipation treated with polyethylene glycol. Adherence was measured via the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS-5, score 5-25), with greater scores indicating better adherence (scores ≥23 were defined as adherent). Beliefs about medication, illness perceptions, satisfaction with treatment, and satisfaction with information about treatment were measured with the Beliefs about Medication Questionnaire, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication (TSQM), and the Satisfaction with Information about Medication Questionnaire. Associations between the questionnaire scores and adherence (MARS-5 score as a continuous variable) were analyzed with regression analyses. Results: In total, 43 of 115 included children (37%) were adherent (MARS-5 ≥23). Spearman rank correlation test revealed a statistically significant correlation between TSQM-convenience, TSQM-satisfaction, Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire question 8 (emotions), and the MARS-5 score (rs 0.342, P =.000; rs 0.258, P =.006; rs –0.192, P =.044), which suggests that parental perceived treatment convenience, satisfaction with treatment, and illness perceptions may affect adherence in children with functional constipation. In the hierarchical multivariate regression model, 22% of the variability of the MARS-5 score could be explained by the selected predictors. The TSQM-convenience score contributed the most to the model (β: 0.384, P =.000). Conclusions: Parents reported low adherence rates in their children with functional constipation. Treatment inconvenience, dissatisfaction with treatment, and the emotional impact of functional constipation may negatively influence treatment adherence

Intestinal Ultrasound in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Promising, but Work in Progress

Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is increasingly used and promulgated as a noninvasive monitoring tool for children with inflammatory bowel disease because other diagnostic modalities such as colonoscopy and magnetic resonance imaging cause significant stress in the pediatric population. The most important parameters of inflammation that can be assessed using IUS are bowel wall thickness and hyperemia of the bowel wall. Research has shown that IUS has the potential to be a valuable additional point-of-care tool to guide treatment choice and to monitor and predict treatment response, although evidence of its accuracy and value in clinical practice is still limited. This review gives an update and overview of the current evidence on the use and accuracy of IUS in children with inflammatory bowel disease

The child’s perception on monitoring inflammatory bowel disease activity

To determine the perception of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) regarding monitoring tests, we first compared the reported discomfort and patient perspective during gastro-intestinal (GI)-endoscopy, magnetic resonance entrography (MRE), and ultrasound (US) and, in a second comparison, patient preference on non-invasive tests (venipuncture, sampling stool and US). A cross-sectional study in children 8–18 years undergoing an US, MRE, and GI-endoscopy for diagnosis or follow-up of IBD. After each procedure, the children filled out the Discomfort during research procedures questionnaire (DISCO-RC). Items of the DISCO-RC are as follows: nervousness, annoyance, pain, fright, boredom, and tiredness. Answers range from “not” (= 0 points) to “extremely” (= 4 points) (range total score: 0–24). Differences between the procedures were assessed with Friedman test, with subsequent Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The children were also asked which non-invasive test they preferred not to undergo regularly (venipuncture, stool-sampling, or US). Answers were analyzed with χ2-test. Forty-nine patients (27 (55%) female, median age 15 (range 9–17)) were included. The children reported to be most nervous, frightened, and tired after GI-endoscopy (median: 1, 1, 2 points, respectively), equally annoyed by MRE and GI-endoscopy (median 1 point), and equally bored by MRE and US. GI-endoscopy was ranked as most discomfortable, followed by MRE and US (total DISCO-RC scores: 7 vs. 5 vs. 2, p < 0.001). Most of the children preferred not to sample stool or perform venipuncture regularly (n = 20 (41%, both) (p < 0.001)). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the children with IBD report low discomfort after US, MRE, and GI-endoscopy. US is preferred as a monitoring tool, also among non-invasive monitoring tests. GI-endoscopy was most discomfortable.What is Known:• Children with inflammatory bowel disease need to be monitored frequently for disease activity.• Adult studies — including a systematic review — on acceptability of monitoring tools among IBD patients showed mixed results.What is New:• Children in our study ranked gastro-intestinal endoscopy as most discomfortable, followed by MRE and US.• With regard to non-invasive monitoring, most children preferred not to sample stool or perform venipuncture regularly, and preferred US

Intestinal Ultrasound Is Accurate to Determine Endoscopic Response and Remission in Patients With Moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis: A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study

Background & Aims: Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is noninvasive, cost-effective, and accurate to determine disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC). In this study, we prospectively evaluated IUS for treatment response in a longitudinal cohort by using endoscopy and histology as gold standards. Methods: Consecutive patients with moderate to severe UC (endoscopic Mayo score [EMS] ≥2) starting tofacitinib treatment were included. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after 8 weeks of tofacitinib induction by means of clinical, biochemical, endoscopic (EMS and UC endoscopic index for severity), histologic (Robarts Histopathologic Index) and IUS assessments. Readers of IUS, endoscopy, and histology were blinded for all other outcomes. The primary outcome was difference in bowel wall thickness (BWT) for endoscopic improvement vs no endoscopic improvement. Endoscopic remission was defined as EMS = 0, improvement as EMS ≤1, and response as a decrease of EMS ≥1. Results: Thirty patients were included, with 27 patients completing follow-up. BWT correlated with EMS (ρ = 0.68, P <.0001), UC endoscopic index for severity (ρ = 0.73, P <.0001) and Robarts Histopathologic Index (ρ = 0.49, P =.002) at both time points. BWT in the sigmoid was lower in patients with endoscopic remission (1.4 mm vs 4.0 mm, P =.016), endoscopic improvement (1.8 mm vs 4.5 mm, P <.0001) and decrease in BWT was more pronounced in patients with endoscopic response (−58.1% vs −13.4%, P =.018). The most accurate cutoff values for BWT were 2.8 mm (area under the curve [AUC] 0.87) for endoscopic remission, 3.9 mm (AUC 0.92) for improvement, and decrease of 32% (AUC 0.87) for response. The submucosa was the most responsive wall layer. Conclusion: IUS, importantly BWT as the single most important parameter, is highly accurate to detect treatment response when evaluated against endoscopic outcomes

Premedication with intravenous steroids does not influence the incidence of infusion reactions following infliximab infusions in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients—a case-control study

Purpose: Infusion reactions (IR) are commonly described side effects of infliximab (IFX) infusions, often leading to discontinuation of IFX. This study aimed to investigate the influence of steroid premedication (PM) on incidence of IR in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (PIBD) patients receiving IFX. Methods: A case-control study in two tertiary centers in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, including PIBD patients receiving IFX. PM with steroids was part of standard care in one center (PM+) but not in the other center (PM−). Acute IR were divided into mild/severe reactions and in grade 1/2/3/4 for detailed exploration. Differences between subgroups were assessed with the T or chi-square test. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess associations between PM and IR incidence, correcting for co-medication usage. Results: We included 226 patients (91 PM+, 50% male, mean age at onset of IBD 12.7 years), receiving 3433 infusions. There was no difference between the PM+ and PM− subgroups in incidence of IR (14.3% vs. 17.0% of patients, p = 0.58) and in percentage of infusions followed by IR (1.4% in both subgroups). The OR of developing IR when using PM was 1.06 (95% CI 0.49–2.27, p = 0.89), and the OR of developing a grade 3 or 4 IR when using PM was 0.90 (95% CI 0.24–3.39, p = 0.88) when correcting for co-medication usage. Conclusion: The incidence of IR was low, and premedication with steroids did not decrease the incidence of IR in this cohort of PIBD patients receiving IFX. Our results indicate that PM with steroids is not indicated in PIBD to prevent IR

Intestinal ultrasound is accurate to determine endoscopic response and remission in patients with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis: a longitudinal prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is non-invasive, cost-effective and accurate to determine disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC). In this study we prospectively evaluated IUS for treatment response in a longitudinal cohort by using endoscopy and histology as gold standards. METHODS Consecutive patients with moderate-to-severe UC (endoscopic Mayo score (EMS)≥2) starting tofacitinib treatment were included. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after 8 weeks of tofacitinib induction by means of clinical, biochemical, endoscopic (EMS and ulcerative colitis endoscopic index for severity (UCEIS)), histological (Robarts Histopathologic Index (RHI)) and IUS assessments. Readers of IUS, endoscopy and histology were blinded for all other outcomes. The primary outcome was difference in bowel wall thickness (BWT) for endoscopic improvement versus no endoscopic improvement. Endoscopic remission was defined as EMS=0, improvement as EMS≤1 and response as a decrease of EMS≥1. RESULTS Thirty patients were included with 27 patients completing follow-up. BWT correlated with EMS (ρ=0.68, p<0.0001), UCEIS (ρ=0.73, p<0.0001) and RHI (ρ=0.49, p=0.002) at both time-points. BWT in the sigmoid was lower in patients with endoscopic remission (1.4mm vs 4.0mm, p=0.016), endoscopic improvement (1.8mm vs 4.5mm, p<0.0001) and decrease in BWT was more pronounced in patients with endoscopic response (-58.1% vs -13.4%, p=0.018). The most accurate cut-off values for BWT were 2.8 mm (AUC:0.87) for endoscopic remission, 3.9 mm (AUC:0.92) for improvement and decrease of 32% (AUC:0.87) for response. The submucosa was the most responsive wall layer. CONCLUSION IUS, importantly BWT as the single most important parameter, is highly accurate to detect treatment response when evaluated against endoscopic outcomes

Intestinal Ultrasound Is Accurate to Determine Endoscopic Response and Remission in Patients With Moderate to Severe Ulcerative Colitis: A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study

Background & Aims: Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) is noninvasive, cost-effective, and accurate to determine disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC). In this study, we prospectively evaluated IUS for treatment response in a longitudinal cohort by using endoscopy and histology as gold standards. Methods: Consecutive patients with moderate to severe UC (endoscopic Mayo score [EMS] ≥2) starting tofacitinib treatment were included. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after 8 weeks of tofacitinib induction by means of clinical, biochemical, endoscopic (EMS and UC endoscopic index for severity), histologic (Robarts Histopathologic Index) and IUS assessments. Readers of IUS, endoscopy, and histology were blinded for all other outcomes. The primary outcome was difference in bowel wall thickness (BWT) for endoscopic improvement vs no endoscopic improvement. Endoscopic remission was defined as EMS = 0, improvement as EMS ≤1, and response as a decrease of EMS ≥1. Results: Thirty patients were included, with 27 patients completing follow-up. BWT correlated with EMS (ρ = 0.68, P <.0001), UC endoscopic index for severity (ρ = 0.73, P <.0001) and Robarts Histopathologic Index (ρ = 0.49, P =.002) at both time points. BWT in the sigmoid was lower in patients with endoscopic remission (1.4 mm vs 4.0 mm, P =.016), endoscopic improvement (1.8 mm vs 4.5 mm, P <.0001) and decrease in BWT was more pronounced in patients with endoscopic response (−58.1% vs −13.4%, P =.018). The most accurate cutoff values for BWT were 2.8 mm (area under the curve [AUC] 0.87) for endoscopic remission, 3.9 mm (AUC 0.92) for improvement, and decrease of 32% (AUC 0.87) for response. The submucosa was the most responsive wall layer. Conclusion: IUS, importantly BWT as the single most important parameter, is highly accurate to detect treatment response when evaluated against endoscopic outcomes

Safety of Rapid Infliximab Infusions in Children: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess whether the incidence of infusion reactions (IR) increases after rapid (≤1 hour) infliximab (IFX) infusions, compared with standard (2-3 hour) infusions in children. METHODS: Systematic review including studies describing the number of IR after rapid IFX infusion in children ages 0 to 18 years. RESULTS: Four records were included (3 retrospective, n = 498, 347 standard infusions, 3703 rapid infusions). Reported incidences of IR ranged from 0% to 2% of infusions in standard groups (reported 95% confidence intervals [CIs] ranged from 0% to 7%) and from 0% to 2% of infusions in rapid groups (reported 95% CIs ranged from 0% to 12%). None of the studies included reported a significant difference in incidence of IR between the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence to conclude whether the rate of IR after rapid IFX increases. The consistent finding of no increase in IR in all studies and the low rate of observed IR suggests there is no significant difference in rate of IR

Diagnostic Accuracy of Transabdominal Ultrasound in Detecting Intestinal Inflammation in Paediatric IBD Patients-a Systematic Review

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Currently used non-invasive tools for monitoring children with inflammatory bowel disease [IBD], such as faecal calprotectin, do not accurately reflect the degree of intestinal inflammation and do not provide information on disease location. Ultrasound [US] might be of added value. This systematic review aimed to assess the diagnostic test accuracy of transabdominal US in detecting intestinal inflammation in children with IBD in both diagnostic and follow-up settings. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase [Ovid], Cochrane Library, and CINAHL [EBSCO] databases for studies assessing diagnostic accuracy of transabdominal US for detection of intestinal inflammation in patients diagnosed or suspected of IBD, aged 0-18 years, with ileo-colonoscopy and/or magnetic resonance enterography [MRE] as reference standards. Studies using US contrast were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed with QUADAS-2. RESULTS: The search yielded 276 records of which 14 were included. No meta-analysis was performed, because of heterogeneity in study design and methodological quality. Only four studies gave a clear description of their definition for an abnormal US result. The sensitivity and specificity of US ranged from 39-93% and 90-100% for diagnosing de novo IBD, and 48-93% and 83-93% for detecting active disease during follow-up, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic accuracy of US in detecting intestinal inflammation as seen on MRE and/or ileo-colonoscopy in paediatric IBD patients remains inconclusive, and there is currently no consensus on defining an US result as abnormal. Prospective studies with adequate sample size and methodology are needed before US can be used in the diagnostics and monitoring of paediatric IBD