| Abstract: | Abstract: To study the clinical significance of periappendiceal inflammation in patients with distal ulcerative colitis, we reviewed sixteen patients who underwent total colono-scopy from January in 1995 to September in 1998 in our department, and compared the clinicopathological findings in the patients with and without this lesion. Four of sixteen patients (25%) had periappendiceal inflammation. The patients with periappendiceal inflammation tended to be younger and had a significantly shorter duration of disease. Two of the patients with periappendiceal inflammation were one-attack-only type and 2 cases were relapse-remitting type, while all the other cases without this inflammation were relapse-remitting type. The periappendiceal lesion was observed on initial colono-scopy in 3 of the 4 patients. Severity was mild in all patients with periappendiceal inflammation while 4 cases were moderate and 1 case was severe in the other patients. The periappendiceal lesion and main lesion of the patients with periappendiceal inflammation were histological grades 2 or 3, while the main lesion varied up to grades 4 or 5 in the other patients. These findings suggested that distal ulcerative colitis patients with periappendiceal inflammation may have a relatively mild disease course. In addition, periappendiceal inflammation was thought to develop in the early stage of the disease course. (Dig Endosc 1999; 11: 119–124) |
