A first of its kind locally, Scripps doctors are now using ultrasounds to monitor IBD

(Editor’s note: This story has been edited to correct the spelling of a doctor’s name. We apologize for the error)

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Doctors at Scripps are using common technology in a new way.

A group of Scripps Clinic gastroenterologists are the first in San Diego County to use ultrasound technology to care for patients with chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, Scripps Health announced Tuesday.

“Ultrasound for IBD is an exciting innovation that is just starting to spread in this country among gastroenterologists,” said Rebecca Matro, M.D., director of the Scripps Clinic Intestinal Ultrasound Program. “With an ultrasound machine readily available inside the patient exam room, we can quickly do a scan during a patient’s regular appointment to see how their disease is progressing and whether drug treatments or dietary changes are having their intended effect.”

IBD ultrasound exams are also being offered by Gauree Konijeti, M.D. at several Scripps Clinic outpatient locations across the county.

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Before using ultrasound exams, doctors had to perform colonoscopies, which is an invasive procedure that requires anesthesia and bowel preparation, or MRI or CT scans.

Intestinal ultrasounds require no bowel preparation, no fasting and no anesthesia.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports around 3.1 million adults in the U.S. have IBD, while most patients are diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 30.

Symptoms of IBD conditions can include diarrhea, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, fatigue and weight loss, and range from mild to severe enough to be debilitating or even life-threatening.

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“When treating IBD, our main goals are healing the inside of the colon and small intestines, and reducing symptoms to the point that the patient is symptom free and able to live a normal life,” Dr. Matro said. “Monitoring the activity of the disease is critical, and ultrasound is a cost-effective, point-of-care technology for doing that.”

Research also has revealed another important benefit — patients who see and discuss their ultrasound images with their physicians in real time have a better understanding of their disease and symptoms.

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As the practice of using ultrasound technology to monitor patients with IBD grows, training programs at four U.S. medical centers and internationally are now available to physicians wishing to learn the technique.

Most insurance plans, including Medicare, now cover IBD ultrasound as a component of regular exams for IBD patients.

Scripps Health is a nonprofit integrated health care delivery system based in San Diego, founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps.

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