Advanced endoscopy and artificial intelligence-enabled vascular healing for ulcerative colitis: promising frontiers or mere mirage?

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by subtle microvascular alterations that play a critical role in disease perpetuation and mucosal injury. Recent advances in image-enhanced endoscopy and ultrahigh-magnification endoscopy have improved the real-time visualization of these vascular changes while highlighting their diagnostic value. Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled endoscopic systems provide automated, reproducible vascular assessments. Emerging data suggest that AI-based vascular healing correlates with clinical remission and may alter histological scores, enabling the prediction of sustained remission. Despite these promising advances, challenges remain, such as standardizing vascular healing definitions, addressing interobserver variability, and validating AI-driven platforms in real-world settings. Integrating microvascular-targeted therapies and advanced imaging has the potential to transform the management of ulcerative colitis, facilitating sustained remission and improving the quality of life. This review examined the evolving role of microvascular assessment in ulcerative colitis, the potential of AI in refining endoscopic evaluation, and the prospects of incorporating vascular healing as a therapeutic target.