Endoscopic study of the ileal papilla in a normal case and in patients under several pathological conditions

The ileal protrusion into the lumen of the large intestine was studied in 9 patients (8 adults and 1 girl), 6 females and 3 males, all Brazilians and Caucasians. One of the patients resulted to have no disease, whereas in the others was confirmed the suspected diverticulosis, non specific ulcerative colitis, polyposis, regional ileitis or tuberculosis. In all cases the papillary and bilabial types of the termination of the ileum was documented by endoscopic photography, justifying the change of the expression "Bauhin's ileocecal valve" to that of "eminentia ilealis". Even in cases (one with regional ileitis and the other with tuberculosis) in which the disease altered the eminentia ilealis, it was possible to recognize the ileal papilla. Endoscopy confirmed direct, in vivo observations of ileal papilla, excluding the influence of the surgical procedure (incision and exteriorization in cases of cecostomy) in the morphological aspect of the normal eminentia ilealis.