Artificial Intelligence in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Endoscopy

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), comprising Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract with still-elusive etiopathogeneses and an increasing prevalence worldwide. Despite the growing availability of more advanced therapies in the last two decades, there are still a number of unmet needs. For example, the achievement of mucosal healing has been widely demonstrated as a prognostic marker for better outcomes and a reduced risk of dysplasia and cancer; however, the accuracy of endoscopy is crucial for both this aim and the precise and reproducible evaluation of endoscopic activity and the detection of dysplasia. Artificial intelligence (AI) has drastically altered the field of GI studies and is being extensively applied to medical imaging. The utilization of deep learning and pattern recognition can help the operator optimize image classification and lesion segmentation, detect early mucosal abnormalities, and eventually reveal and uncover novel biomarkers with biologic and prognostic value. The role of AI in endoscopy—and potentially also in histology and imaging in the context of IBD—is still at its initial stages but shows promising characteristics that could lead to a better understanding of the complexity and heterogeneity of IBDs, with potential improvements in patient care and outcomes. The initial experience with AI in IBDs has shown its potential value in the differentiation of UC and CD when there is no ileal involvement, reducing the significant amount of time it takes to review videos of capsule endoscopy and improving the inter- and intra-observer variability in endoscopy reports and scoring. In addition, these initial experiences revealed the ability to predict the histologic score index and the presence of dysplasia. Thus, the purpose of this review was to summarize recent advances regarding the application of AI in IBD endoscopy as there is, indeed, increasing evidence suggesting that the integration of AI-based clinical tools will play a crucial role in paving the road to precision medicine in IBDs.