Challenges and limitations in assessing mucosal healing in Crohn's disease: Discrepancies between endoscopic and histologic evaluations.

Abstract

The recent study published by Lee et al examined the discrepancies between endoscopic and histologic evaluations of mucosal inflammation in active ileal Crohn's disease (CD). While this research contributes to our understanding of the limitations of current biopsy protocols, it raises several concerns about the generalizability of its findings, sample size, and methodology. One major limitation was the exclusion of patients with ileal strictures, ileostomies, or J-pouches, which reduced the applicability of the results to the wider CD population. Furthermore, the biopsy protocol's focus on single biopsies from specific locations may inadequately capture the patchy inflammation characteristic of CD. The study also uses histologic indices primarily developed for ulcerative colitis, which may not be suitable for assessing CD. It is recommended that multi-center studies be conducted and histologic indices specific to CD be developed to improve the relevance of future research. Additionally, researchers should consider the influence of treatment regimens on the findings. Addressing these limitations would enhance the clinical significance of the study and inform better diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for CD.