Evaluating treatment to a target of transmural healing in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease: rationale, design and protocol for the randomised controlled VECTORS trial.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The optimal treatment target for Crohn's disease (CD) is unknown. Targeting transmural healing (TMH) may be associated with a lower risk of complications than clinical and endoscopic outcomes. The Study to Evaluate Transmural Healing as a Treatment Target in Crohn's Disease (VECTORS) aims to investigate TMH as a potential treatment target and its long-term benefits in patients with CD.

Methods and analysis

VECTORS is a phase 4, interventional, parallel-group, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Approximately 304 adult patients with moderately to severely active CD from multiple international sites will be enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to treatment target group 1 (corticosteroid-free intestinal ultrasound-based response or TMH plus clinical

SUBMITTER: Jairath V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12927283 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature