[Findings in the upper gastrointestinal tract in Crohn disease]

The features, frequency and clinical significance of Crohn's lesions in the upper gastrointestinal tract have been investigated. In 11 out of 28 randomly selected patients, lesions which may be caused by Crohn's disease were found on panendoscopy. These were serpiginous ulcerations in the pars II of the duodenum, as well as aphthous-like lesions and polypoid mucosal folds in the esophagus, antrum and duodenum. In 2 cases each of polypoid folds and aphthous-like lesions, the diagnosis was corroborated by histological finding of a granulomatous inflammation. The lesions suspected to be caused by Crohn's disease were found especially in younger patients and were accompanied by upper abdominal symptoms, but showed no correlation with the clinical activity of the disease.