白浜 正文¹, 古賀 貴文¹, 石橋 大海², 内田 哲¹

Masafumi SHIRAHAMA¹, Takafumi KOGA¹, Hiromi ISHIBASHI², Satoshi UCHIDA¹

¹佐賀県立病院好生館内科, ²九州大学医学部第一内科

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Saga Prefectural Hospital, ²The First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University

キーワード : Ultrasonography, Ulcerative colitis

Transabdominal high-resolution ultrasonography (US) was performed for twelve patients with active ulcerative colitis. The colon wall was clearly thickened in all patients (4∼10 mm) , and recognizable as a four- or five-layered structure; beginning luminally, a thin echogenic layer, an echo-poor layer, an echogenic layer, an echo-poor layer, and an echogenic layer. Thickening of the colon wall derived mainly from widening of the inner echo-poor layer and the central echogenic layer. The location of the diseased colon was consistent with the findings of the barium studies. The degree of wall thickening corresponded to the progress of the disease. US findings also included narrowing of the lumen, straightening of the bowel loops, reduced peristalsis, rigidity of the wall, and a lack of haustration. In four patients, lymphadenopathy was found near the diseased colon. Ascitic fluid or abscess formations were not detected. After effective treatment, the wall thickness promptly decreased (4 mm or less). Although US findings are nonspecific, US is a safe and useful diagnostic method in the diagnosis and management of ulcerative colitis.