Stages of Crohn's disease examined by X-ray

Since X-ray examination of patients with Crohn's disease are not only used for initial diagnostic purposes, but also to follow the course of the disease, exact criteria for interpreting X-ray findings are required. In the past, X-ray criteria have been arbitravily chosen by various investigation resulting in large differences in diagnostic interpretation. In order to develop standardized criteria for diagnostic interpretation, patients with Crohn's disease were classified in 8 stages of disease. The bases for this staging were the frequency of recurrent disease and the intestinal anatomy causing the X-ray findings. (orig.)