New tool in the early detection of bowel disease

	Tweet

An international team of researchers led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) have developed a new kind of endoscope to aid the early detection and diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease.

The Confocal Laser Endomicroscope (CLE) contains a powerful microscope which allows clinicians to view the bacteria that are thought to trigger diseases of the bowel such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

“Bacteria within the wall of the gut are already believed to play an important role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease and we now have a powerful new tool for viewing this bacteria during routine colonoscopy,” said Prof Alastair Watson of the University of East Anglia (UEA), who led the work in partnership with researchers in France and Germany. 

"This new technique will allow the rapid identification of patients at risk or in the early stages of this common but distressing group of diseases.”

The causes of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are still not completely understood but bacteria within the mucous membrane of the gut are thought to play a role. The current method of taking biopsies prevents observation of the bacteria’s exact location and of the way it interacts with the mucous membrane. The new endomicroscopy technique, which uses a flourescent dye to highlight the bacteria, allows these exact processes to be viewed at a sub-cellular level during routine colonoscopy.

Funded by the Wellcome Trust, the study also found that of 163 patients studied, those with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis were much more likely to have bacteria within the wall of their gut than those with healthy intestines.

###

‘Confocal laser endomicroscopy is a new imaging modality for recognition of intramucosal bacteria in inflammatory bowel disease in vivo’ by D Moussata (Claude Bernard University, France), M Goetz (Johannes Gutenberg University, Germany), A Goeckner (Johannes Gutenberg University), M Kerner (Johannes Gutenberg University), B Campbell (University of Liverpool), A Hoffman (Johannes Gutenberg University), S Biesterfeld (Johannes Gutenberg University), B Flourie (Claude Bernard University), J-C Saurin (Claude Bernard University), P Galle (Johannes Gutenberg University), M Neurath (Johannes Gutenberg University), A Watson (University of East Anglia), R Kiesslich (Johannes Gutenberg University) is published online by Gut:

###

Contact: Simon Dunford

44-160-359-2203
University of East Anglia

RELATED STORIES:
Cedars-Sinai physician definitively links irritable bowel syndrome and bacteria in gut   Takeda drug impresses in ulcerative colitis study   Biomarkers can reveal IBS   How probiotic bacteria protect against inflammatory bowel diseases   Laparoscopy reduces the risk of small-bowel obstruction   Soy protein alleviates symptoms of fatty liver disease   Newly Approved Treatment for Acid Reflux Disease Available   Rectal NSAID Cuts Pancreatitis Risk After ERCP   Longer treatment with cancer drug following removal of GI tumor results in improved survival   Detection and treatment for hepatic encephalopathy prevents car accidents, reduces costs   Some drugs less harsh than others for IBS: study   Prevention of Aspirin-Related Gastric Ulcers   Pozen rises as ulcer drug meets goals in studies   Colonoscopy Patients Opt for Painless Approach   Researchers Find 5 Risk Biomarkers for Crohn’s Disease In Jews of Eastern European Descent

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]