Inflammatory bowel disease-related lesions in the duodenal and gastric mucosa.

Objective: In 10-15% of patients with colorectal inflammatory bowel disease it is not possible to determine whether they have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis and they are therefore classified as having inflammatory bowel disease unclassified (IBDU) (formerly referred to as "indeterminate colitis"). The aim of this study was to determine whether upper endoscopy with biopsies could be a useful tool for diagnosing patients with colorectal inflammatory disease.

Material And Methods: Fifty-two patients (14 colorectal Crohn's disease, 19 ulcerative colitis, 6 IBDU, 8 microscopic colitis and 5 without IBD) were examined by upper endoscopy.