Ulcerative colitis (UC) belongs to the group of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and is characterized by a chronic relapsing disease course. As uncontrolled intestinal inflammation can lead to severe disease complications, treatment of UC has evolved from sole treatment of symptoms up to histological remission which is marked by the absence of histological inflammation. To correctly assess and quantify the degree of histological inflammation in IBD patients remains difficult. Digital holographic microscopy (DHM) is a new imaging technique belonging to quantitative phase contrast imaging. It is based on the detection of optical path-length delays in a stain-free manner, thereby providing a refractive index which directly correlates to tissue density. This study aims to evaluate the role of DHM for quantifying the degree of histological inflammation in endoscopically acquired biopsies of UC patients in a prospective clinical trial. From 28 UC patients, the investigators will obtain endoscopically acquired colonic biopsies. The investigators will assess the degree of inflammation in these biopsies using DHM and in addition to this an experienced histopathologist will determine the degree of inflammation in these biopsies using a histological scoring system (Nancy-Score = goldstandard). Finally, the investigators will directly correlate the results from DHM analysis to the histological analysis using the Nancy-Score.
Age range
18 Years
Sex
ALL
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Analysis of the inflammation grade of mucosal biopsies of ulcerative colitis patients
Timeframe: Endoscopically acquired biopsies will immediately be transported to the laboratory. After processing, biopsies can be used for histological assessment and for digital holographic microscopy; biopsies will be assessed within a time period up to 56 weeks.
Dominik Bettenworth, Professor, MD