Thermography in Surveillance of Ulcerative Colitis
Condition: Ulcerative Colitis
MeSH terms: Colitis; Colitis, Ulcerative; Ulcer
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Ulcerative colitis represents a chronic condition occurring in relapsing and remitting
      fashion with uncertain outcome and requires lifelong treatment with considerable side
      effects. Diagnostic methods currently in use, clinical (endoscopy), imaging (CT, MR) or
      laboratory (C - reactive protein, fecal calprotectin) give an insight into disease activity
      but are possibly associated with significant discomfort for the patient and / or increased
      risk of irradiation and potential allergic reactions on contrast agents. For that reason
      there is a need for a noninvasive, biologically inert method for evaluation of disease
      activity in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Thermography possesses most of these
      characteristics. The aim of this study is to find potential link between pathological
      thermographic signs and endoscopic findings, serum C reactive protein (CRP) and calprotectin
      in the stool of patients with active and extensive ulcerative colitis.
    

Detailed description: 
      Hypothesis: Documenting pathological thermographic signs in patients with extensive
      ulcerative colitis investigators will demonstrate pathological thermography criteria that
      correlate with standard inflammatory markers such as Mayo endoscopic subscore (ESS), CRP and
      calprotectin in patients with ulcerative colitis.

      Aims: The aim of this study is to record abdominal thermographic images of patients with
      active ulcerative colitis (UC), to create interpretational thermographic criteria for these
      images and to compare them to abdominal infrared (IR) images of healthy volunteers.
      Furthermore, investigators intend to correlate these criteria with standard markers of
      inflammation such as CRP and calprotectin in patients with UC at the beginning of treatment
      and at the end.

      Materials and methods: For the purpose of this work, 36 patients with extensive UC and 30
      healthy individuals will be put throe thermographic imagining, have their stool tested for
      calprotectin and their blood for CRP. In addition, patients with UC will receive colonoscopy
      evaluations.

      Expected scientific contribution: The results of this paper would give an additional
      contribution to existing tools for pursuing ulcerative colitis activity thus demonstrating
      the potential of thermography as a complementary method to standard methods in assessing
      disease activity. Establishing diagnostic criteria for this method would be a good addition
      to present clinical practice.
    

Intervention name(s): Thermography; Colonoscopy
Intervention type(s): Device; Procedure
Intervention description(s): Thermographic imaging of the patient's abdomen surface; Endoscopic examination of the colon
Observational model: Case-Control
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        The study population will be recruited among active ulcerative colitis patients
        hospitalized in University Hospital Dubrava.

        Healthy individuals matching sex and BMI to those of recruited ulcerative colitis patients.
      
Biospecimen description: 
      Stool samples for fecal calprotectin concentration measurements.
    
Keywords: Inflammatory bowel disease; Ulcerative Colitis; Thermography; Endoscopy; CRP; Fecal Calprotectin