[Intestinal metaplasia of the bladder]

Intestinal metaplasia is a rare condition characterized by the presence of colonic epithelium and mucin-containing goblet cells in the bladder. According to its extension we can distinguish localized from widespread intestinal metaplasia. We describe a case of glandular cystitis intestinal-type in a 58-year-old man whose clinical history and diagnostic work-up are consistent with this proliferative abnormality. We also discuss the pathogenesis and the propensity of intestinal metaplasia to undergo neoplastic transformation.