A case of rather typical Crohn's disease in a 10 year old girl is described. She had suffered from intractable abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever for 1 year. Eventual right hemicolectomy revealed diffuse involvement of terminal ileum, cecum and ascending colon by confluent ulcerations and transmural inflammation. Histologically there were numerous well developed non-caseating granulomas scattered transmurally and in regional lymph nodes. Deep penetrating ulcerations were characteristic. Acid fast staining failed to demonstrate any organism. The rarity of Crohn's disease in Korea and this occurrence in pediatric age prompted this report.
Child ; Colitis/pathology ; Crohn Disease/diagnosis/*pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Granuloma/pathology ; Humans ; Ileitis/pathology ; Intestines/pathology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bamboo joint-like (BJL) appearance is an endoscopic finding characterized by swollen longitudinal folds transversed by erosive fissures or linear furrows on the lesser curvature side of gastric body and cardia. It has been reported to be associated with Crohn's disease (CD). This study was aimed to evaluate the incidence of BJL appearance in Korean patients with CD. METHODS: From January to December in 2005, we performed esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) in patients diagnosed as CD and ulcerative colitis (UC) in our hospital. Non-inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) subjects with upper gastrointestinal symptoms who underwent EGD were consecutively enrolled during the same period. One endoscopist performed all the endoscopic examinations to avoid inter-observer variation. A dye-spraying technique with 0.4% indigocarmine was used to allow the detection of subtle changes during the endoscopic examination. RESULTS: A total of 21 patients with CD (mean age+/-SD, 40+/-15 yr; M/F, 13/8), 28 patients with UC (42+/-15 yr; 21/7), and 685 non-IBD subjects (49+/-14 yr; 354/331) were enrolled. EGD findings in CD patients were gastric erosions (11/21), chronic superficial gastritis (5/21), chronic atrophic gastritis (1/21), duodenal erosions or ulcers (2/21), and normal (2/21). Incidence of BJL appearance was significantly higher in patients with CD (47.6%, 10/21) than others (UC, 3.6%, 1/28; non-IBD, 0.1%, 1/685) (p<0.0001). Among patients with CD, incidence of BJL appearance was not significantly different according to the sex, status of H. pylori infection, Vienna classification for phenotype, medications or EGD findings. CONCLUSIONS: BJL appearance on the gastric body and cardia can be a diagnostic clue to CD.
Adult ; Crohn Disease/diagnosis/*pathology ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach/*pathology

In Crohn's disease, neurologic complications such as cerebrovascular accident, headache, peripheral neuropathy have been reported sporadically. The pathogenesis of these neurologic complications is still unknown and controversial. We experienced a 22-year-old man, with Crohn's disease accompanied by optic neuritis. Loss of visual acuity was developed during the worsening course of enterocutaneous fistula. After high dose steroid treatment, his visual acuity and neurologic symptoms improved immediately.
Adult ; Crohn Disease/*complications/drug therapy/pathology ; Humans ; Intestinal Fistula/complications ; Male ; Optic Neuritis/*complications/diagnosis

OBJECTIVETo enhance our understanding of pediatric Crohn's disease and improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic efficacy by characterizing the clinical picture and reviewing 10 years' clinical experience in diagnosis and treatment.

METHODSNine cases with active Crohn's disease diagnosed between 1996 and 2005, including 8 males and 1 female, aged 6 - 13 years, were reviewed. Clinical, radiologic, endoscopic and histological data as well as therapeutic results were analized.

RESULTSThe mean interval from the onset of symptoms to the diagnosis was 10 months. The sites of involvement were both the small intestine and colon in 6, small intestine only in 3. Abdominal pain and diarrhea were the two most common gastrointestinal symptoms. The main extraintestinal manifestations were weight loss in 7, hypoalbuminemia in 5, mild anemia in 5, fever in 4 and hypocalcemia in 2. All the patients had undergone colonoscopy, and the findings included ulcerations, segmental lesions, cobblestone appearance, pseudopolyps and perianal abnormalities. Capsule endoscopic examination in one patient demonstrated the segmental distribution with typical longitudinal cleft-like ulcers and cobblestone appearance. Gastrointestinal barium meal X-ray examination was performed in 7 patients, the main findings were segmental strictures and abnormal mucosa. Histological examination of biopsy specimens mainly showed nonspecific chronic inflammation. Non-caseating granulomas were identifiable in 2 cases. Although there were many macroscopic and microscopic features supporting the diagnosis of Crohn's disease, no epithelioid granuloma could be found in surgical specimens of two patients. Treatment was given up by parents of 2 patients after the diagnosis was established. All the other 7 patients were treated with 5-acetylsalicylic acid, antibiotics and nutritional support during the acute phase. Corticosteroids were used in two patients. Long-term remission was achieved and maintained in 3 children, and in one of them medication could be discontinued and had no signs of disease activity at the end of the follow-up.

CONCLUSIONSChildren and adolescents presenting with Crohn's disease commonly have weight loss and nutritional impairment, which may provide clues to the diagnosis. Appropriate formulation and higher dosage of 5-acetylsalicylic acid [30-50 mg/(kg x d)] may be effective in inducing and maintaining remission in pediatric Crohn's disease.

Adolescent ; Child ; Colon ; pathology ; Colonoscopy ; Crohn Disease ; diagnosis ; pathology ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Intestinal Mucosa ; pathology ; Male ; Malnutrition ; etiology ; Weight Loss

No abstract available.
Adult ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Crohn Disease/*complications ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Humans ; Ileal Diseases/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Ileum/pathology ; Male

Nowadays, inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, is increasing; however, infectious colitis, such as amebic colitis, is decreasing, so many doctors are not apt to be interested in infectious colitis. In addition, recently amebic colitis has been relatively rare in Korea, and the colonoscopic and the pathologic findings of amebic colitis are very similar to those of other inflammatory bowel diseases. As a consequence, the diagnosis is very difficult if the cyst or the trophozoite of the ameba is not found in the stool examination or in the tissue pathology. The authors experienced three cases in which initial diagnoses of tuberculous colitis, ulcerative colitis, and a simple ulcer were made based on colonoscopic and X-ray findings. However a colonoscopic biopsy revealed a trophozoite form of ameba in the tissue. Hence, a diagnosis of amebic colitis could be made with confidence. Based on these results, we insist that infectious colitis should be included in the differential diagnosis when making a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, it is extremely important to consider all kinds of infectious colitis, such as amebic colitis.
Amoeba ; Biopsy ; Colitis* ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Crohn Disease ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dysentery, Amebic* ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Korea ; Pathology ; Trophozoites ; Ulcer

Behcet's disease is a multi-systemic vasculitis and characterized by systemic organ involvement. Although the gastrointestinal and systemic features of Behcet's disease and inflammatory bowel disease overlap to a considerable extent, they are generally viewed as two distinct diseases. A 39-yr-old female was diagnosed as having Behcet's disease. She was admitted to our hospital because of oral and genital ulcer, lower abdominal pain, and frequent diarrhea. Colonosopy showed diffuse involvement of multiple longitudinal ulcers with inflammatory pseudopolyps with a cobblestone appearance and ano-rectal fistula was suspected. These findings are extremely rare in Behcet's disease. However, there were no granulomas, the hallmark of Crohn's colitis. Microscopically, perivasculitis and multiple lymph follicles compatible with Behcet's disease were seen. Although being rarely encountered, multiple longitudinal ulcers, cobblestone appearance, and ano-rectal fistula can develop in Behcet's disease, as in Crohn's colitis. Therefore, Behcet's disease and Crohn's disease may be closely related and part of a spectrum of disease.
Adult ; Behcet Syndrome/diagnosis/*therapy ; Colitis ; Colonoscopy ; Crohn Disease/diagnosis/*therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/pathology ; Intestinal Diseases/diagnosis/*therapy ; Perineum/pathology ; Ulcer ; Vulva/pathology

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are well known risk factors of intestinal cancer in relation to the extent and duration of disease. Rarely, small bowel cancer can develop after a longstanding inflammation of Crohn's disease with a relatively higher incidence than the general population. Signet ring cell carcinoma is a rare condition among intestinal cancers, and the diagnosis or detection is more difficult if the cancer originates from the small bowel. We report a case of a 30-year old female in whom signet ring cell carcinoma of ileum was diagnosed after a 15-year history of Crohn's disease.
Adult ; Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Colonoscopy ; Crohn Disease/*complications/diagnosis/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Ileal Neoplasms/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Focally enhanced gastritis (FEG) has been suggested as a specific diagnostic marker for patients with Crohn's disease (CD). However, the usefulness of FEG for distinguishing CD from ulcerative colitis (UC) is uncertain and the incidence or prevalence of FEG for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients in Korea has not been defined yet. In this study, we investigated the frequency of FEG and other gastric histological abnormalities in Korean patients with CD and UC. METHODS: We evaluated 37 patients with known CD, 43 patients with UC and 41 non-IBD control group; all underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy followed by biopsy from the antrum and the body. The pathology of the gastric biopsy specimens and the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) were evaluated. FEG was characterized by a focal perifoveolar or periglandular inflammatory cell infiltrates. RESULTS: H. pylori positive gastritis was found in 10 of 37 (27.0%) of CD patients, in 16 of 43 (37.2%) of UC patients, and in 22 of 41 (53.7%) of non-IBD control group (p=0.054). In H. pylori-negative patients, FEG was found in 8 of 27 patients (29.6%) of CD patients, 6 of 27 (22.2%) patients with UC, and 2 of 9 (10.5%) of non-IBD control group (p=0.324). CONCLUSIONS: In H. pylori-negative patients, there was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of FEG among CD, UC and control groups in Korea.
Adult ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Crohn Disease/*diagnosis/etiology/pathology ; Female ; Gastritis/epidemiology/*pathology ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Upper Gastrointestinal Tract/pathology

Adenoma ; pathology ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma in Situ ; pathology ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; pathology ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Crohn Disease ; pathology ; Gastric Mucosa ; pathology ; Humans ; Intestinal Mucosa ; pathology ; Precancerous Conditions ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology