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Elementary Lesions of Inflammation

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Colitis

Abstract

A diagnosis of the etiology or the type of colitis is usually not based upon a single discriminatory feature but rather upon a combination of “multiple” microscopic features. These should ideally be evidence based and reproducible and have good specificity and sensitivity. Genuine inflammation of the colonic (and small intestinal) mucosa is characterized by changes in the epithelial and lamina propria cell compartments. Both types of changes should be present. Alterations of the epithelial cells can be subdivided in changes of surface epithelial cells, crypt and surface architectural changes, and metaplasia. Typically there is a change of height of lining epithelial cells. In normal mucosa the surface epithelial height exceeds the height of crypt epithelium. The changes occurring in the lamina propria are not a reaction that develops from a zero baseline of leukocytes. Essentially, these changes are characterized by an increase in total cellularity, a more or less prominent redistribution of the infiltrating cells so that the infiltrate may or may not have a similar density throughout the lamina propria, including the basal part and changes in composition. A good understanding of the different lesions characteristic of inflammation will improve the diagnostic results.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pathology, Department of Surgical Sciences, University Hospital San Giovanni di Dio, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

    Gavino Faa, Daniela Fanni & Maria Leo

  2. Department of Pathology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    Karel Geboes

  3. Department of Pathology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Karel Geboes

Authors
  1. Gavino Faa
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  2. Daniela Fanni
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  3. Maria Leo
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  4. Karel Geboes
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pathology Department, Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, UCL-Brussels, Brussels, Belgium

    Anne Jouret-Mourin

  2. Department of Pathology, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

    Gavino Faa

  3. Department of Pathology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    Karel Geboes

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Faa, G., Fanni, D., Leo, M., Geboes, K. (2018). Elementary Lesions of Inflammation. In: Jouret-Mourin, A., Faa, G., Geboes, K. (eds) Colitis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89503-1_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89503-1_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-89502-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-89503-1

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