Pathology of chronic inflammatory bowel disease

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the two major forms of chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease. They are relapsing inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract with characteristic extra-intestinal manifestations. Accurate diagnosis depends on integration of clinical, endoscopic, radiological and histopathological features. The two conditions cannot be accurately diagnosed in some patients if only colonic disease is present; such cases are termed 'equivocal chronic idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease'. This contribution discusses the pathology of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.