Key Highlights
Review how MV-Flow™ Vascularity Index supports intestinal ultrasound in ulcerative colitis, including bowel wall vascularity, BWT assessment, and standardized IUS monitoring.
Multiparametric Intestinal Ultrasound for Ulcerative Colitis Monitoring White Paper
This white paper outlines the clinical implementation of multiparametric intestinal ultrasound for ulcerative colitis monitoring, with a focus on MV-Flow™ Vascularity Index. It introduces how intestinal ultrasound can support noninvasive and repeatable assessment of inflammatory bowel disease by integrating bowel wall structure, vascularity, and adjunctive stiffness evaluation. The paper explains key IUS parameters used in ulcerative colitis assessment, including bowel wall thickness, wall layer stratification, edema, vascular dilatation, and bowel wall vascularity. It highlights the importance of standardized acquisition conditions, including patient position, compression, respiration, gain, PRF, low-velocity filters, and follow-up measurements at the same bowel segment whenever possible.
MV-Flow™ Microvascular Flow Imaging
MV-Flow™, a microvascular flow imaging feature on Samsung’s V8 ultrasound system, is presented as a tool for visualizing low-velocity intramural bowel wall flow that may be difficult to detect with conventional color Doppler. The white paper discusses how MV-Flow™ can be used with semi-quantitative evaluation, such as Vascularity Index, to support bowel wall vascularity assessment in ulcerative colitis.
Practical Implementation & Reproducibility
The paper also describes practical implementation points for measuring Vascularity Index, including the need to standardize ROI placement and acquisition settings. In the author’s clinical practice, Vascularity Index is measured based on the following specific criteria to help improve reproducibility:
- Measured over a 1-cm length
- Includes the entire thickness of the anterior wall of the target bowel segment
Structure and Stiffness Evaluation
In addition to vascularity assessment, the paper addresses bowel wall structure and stiffness. Bowel wall thickness measurement is discussed as an operator-dependent process where future AI-assisted segmentation and measurement may help improve reproducibility and workflow. Shear-wave elastography is also introduced as an adjunctive parameter that may provide information related to chronic change, although its role in ulcerative colitis is described as less established than in Crohn’s disease.
Overall, the white paper positions MV-Flow™ as a feature that may support microvascular flow visualization in intestinal ultrasound for ulcerative colitis monitoring. When used with standardized imaging protocols and well-defined operational rules, MV-Flow™ Vascularity Index may help clinicians incorporate bowel wall vascularity assessment into routine IUS workflows.
