Use of Water Ingestion in Small Intestine Ultrasound

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Water: Patients that meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria would be asked to ingest 1000ml water as part of standard of care.

Study summary

Small Intestine Contrast Ultrasonography (SICUS) is an ultrasound-based method that explores bowel loops, and is able to identify wall thickness, intestinal motility, bowel wall vascularity and complications such as stenosis or dilatation. Previous studies have utilised oral ingestion of an oral contrast solution (usually PEG dissolved in a volume of water ranging from 250 to 1000mL), in order to increase the sensitivity of ultrasound, especially in stricture detection. Parameters that have been improved include lumen distension to better delineate bowel wall layers, and improved peristalsis. Diffusion of this technique has been limited, in part due to PEG-based agents being costly, time consuming and are not tolerated well in some individuals. Utilisation of water as oral contrast may improve patient tolerability and therefore increase uptake of water ingested intestinal contrast ultrasound (WICUS) as a technique in routine clinical practice. The investigators aim to study the tolerability and the improvement of image quality utilising water as an oral contrast for intestinal ultrasonography.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Improvement of luminal distension of the terminal ileum — At the post-water ingestion scan 20-30 minutes after ingestion
  Improvement of luminal distension of the terminal ileum, defined as increase of 20% over baseline luminal diameter at the terminal ileum if no disease, taking the average as measured at 1cm intervals over 3cm of the TI in longitudinal view. If diseased segment is present, then measurements would be done at 1cm intervals over 3cm proximal to the diseased segments.

Trial sites (1)

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