Video Comment on Karstensen et al.

John Gásdal Karstensen et al. Confocal laser endomicroscopy: a novel method for prediction of relapse in Crohn’s disease

In a single-center, prospective study, Karstensen et al. evaluated the potential utility of confocal laser endomicroscopy for Crohn’s disease. They found that ileal and colorectal fluorescein leakage, ileal microerosions, and colonic vascular alterations were significantly more frequent in patients with endoscopically active Crohn’s disease than in those with inactive Crohn’s disease or in control patients. Interestingly, during a 12-month follow-up period, ileal fluorescein leakage and microerosions were significant risk factors for relapse. They concluded that confocal laser endomicroscopy can identify reproducible microscopic changes in the terminal ileum that are risk factors for relapse in patients with otherwise inactive Crohn’s disease.