[Crohn's disease of the colon (author's transl)]

Despite the availability of endoscopy, radiological examination remains an essential method in the investigation of Crohn's disease. Various authors agree that it has an accuracy of 75% (1, 8, 14, 20). In our experience accuracy is somewhere between 70 and 85%. These figures depend on the fact that in about 16% histology is also unable to make a definite diagnosis. Crohn's disease of the large bowel is of significance since it is often misinterpreted as ulcerative colitis, because in 10% of cases there is no involvement of the terminal ileum. The final diagnosis depends on the summation of the individual features whose individual significance must be considered. Malignant involvement of the peritoneum, which has not been extensively described in the radiological literature, may result in changes in the wall of the colon and lead to an appearance resembling Crohn's disease, with consequent errors in diagnosis.