Routine and blind histological diagnoses on colonoscopic biopsies compared to clinical-colonoscopic observations in...

Of the 110 patients examined, complete agreement was found between the blind and routine histological studies in the sections from 69 patients (63%), between the blind histological study and that of colonoscopy in 66 patients (60%), and between the routine histological diagnoses and those of colonoscopy in 73 patients (66%). The diagnosis of a normal colonic mucosa was made by blind study on colonoscopic biopsies in 32 patients, by the routine one in 36 patients, and by clinical-colonoscopic examination in 40 cases, the percentage of agreement with the colonoscopic diagnosis being 68 and 72, respectively. The diagnosis of unspecific non-ulcerative colitis was made by the blind histological study in 43 patients, by the routine histological examination in 58 cases, and by colonoscopy in 41 patients. The percentage of agreement between the histological studies and the clinical-colonoscopic diagnoses was 61 and 78, respectively. A diagnosis of ulcerative colitis was made by the blind histological study in 35 patients, by the routine histological examination in 16, and by colonoscopy in 27 cases. The percentages of agreement between the histological studies and the diagnoses by clinical-colonoscopic examination were 82 and 59, respectively. The differences in symptomatology between groups were small, except for a high occurrence of diarrhoea and blood in stool in ceses with ulcerative colitis, as evaluated by blind histological study. The findings stress the importance of following defined criteria for histological examination.