Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease affecting the large bowel.
Common symptoms include bloody diarrhoea, abdominal pain, urgency to use the toilet, tiredness, weight loss, and symptoms that come in flare-ups.
Imaging helps when doctors need to assess how much of the bowel is inflamed, look for complications, or evaluate a severe flare that may need hospital treatment.
CT or MRI may be used to assess extent, complications, and severe flare-ups, although endoscopy remains central to diagnosis.
Management may include anti-inflammatory medicines, biologic therapy, nutrition support, monitoring, and sometimes surgery.
This entry explains the condition. The next step is having a radiologist interpret your specific scan, not a general definition.
