Is Transmural Healing an Achievable Goal in Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

Background/

Objectives

In the era of treat-to-target strategies in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), transmural healing (TH) is gaining recognition as a promising therapeutic goal. TH has been associated with significantly better long-term outcomes, including reduced rates of hospitalization, surgery, and the need for therapy escalation. Cross-sectional imaging techniques, such as intestinal ultrasound (IUS), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography enterography (CTE), offer a comprehensive, non-invasive means to assess this deeper level of healing. This review explores how TH is currently defined across various imaging modalities and evaluates the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of achieving TH with available therapies.

Methods

A literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and Embase using keywords, including "transmural healing", "intestinal ultrasonography", "magnetic resonance imaging", "computed tomography enterography", "Crohn's disease", "ulcerative colitis", and "inflammatory bowel disease". Only English-language studies were considered.

Results

Despite growing interest, there is no standardized definition of TH across imaging platforms. Among the modalities, IUS emerges as the most feasible and cost-effective tool, owing to its accessibility, accuracy (sensitivity 62-95.2%, specificity 61.5-100%), and real-time capabilities, though it does have limitations. Current advanced therapies induce TH in roughly 20-40% of patients, with no consistent differences observed between biologics and small molecules. However, TH has only been evaluated as a formal endpoint in a single randomized controlled trial to date.

Conclusions

A unified and validated definition of transmural healing is critically needed to harmonize research and guide clinical decision-making. While TH holds promise as a meaningful treatment target linked to improved outcomes, existing therapies often fall short of achieving complete transmural resolution. Further studies are essential to clarify its role and optimize strategies for deep healing in IBD.