Problems in the Surgical Management of Crohn's Disease of the Colon

The developing recognition of the true incidence of Crohn's disease of the colon is described, stressing the difficulty of distinguishing between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The histological differences between the two diseases are summarized. Some of the important clinical findings of 35 patients treated over the last 2% years are recorded. The clinical features and differential diagnoses of Crohn's disease of the colon are discussed and the difficulty of separating the granulomatous from the ulcerative colitis on clinical grounds alone is described. Special investigations are non-contributory but the findings derived from sigmoidoscopic examination, barium enema and rectal biopsy may be conclusive. The importance of distinguishing between the two forms of colitis is stressed