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Clinical Aspects of Idiopathic Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Review for Pathologists
Hwajeong Lee, Maria Westerhoff, Bo Shen
1From the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Albany Medical Center, Albany, New York (Dr Lee); the Department of Anatomic Pathology, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle (Dr Westerhoff); and the Department of Gastroenterology/Hepatology, Digestive Disease Institute (Dr Shen), and the Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine (Dr Liu), University of Florida, Gainesville.
Context:
-Idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease manifests with different clinical phenotypes showing varying behavior and risk for neoplasia. The clinical questions that are posed to pathologists differ depending on phase of the disease and the clinical circumstances. Understanding the clinical aspects of the dynamic disease process will enhance the role of pathology in optimizing the care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Objective:
-To review clinical and surgical aspects of inflammatory bowel disease that are relevant to practicing pathologists.
Data Sources:
-The literature was reviewed.
Conclusions:
-Diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease require an integrated evaluation of clinical, endoscopic, radiologic, and pathologic features. Therefore, close interaction between clinicians and pathologists is crucial. Having this team approach improves understanding of the pertinent clinical and surgical aspects of the disease and assists in the recognition of unusual presentation of variants, as well as mimics of idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease, by pathologists.
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