Abstract
Upper gastrointestinal lesions were investigated in three cases of Crohn's disease of aphthous type (Type A Crohn's disease). All three cases had a bamboo joint-like appearance of the stomach and aphthous ulcerations, which are characteristic gastric and/or duodenal lesions in Crohn's disease. In addition, noncaseating epithelioid cell granulomas were present in two of the three cases with bamboo joint-like lesions. Focally enhanced gastritis was recognized in 46% of biopsy specimens from the upper gastrointestinal tract of the cases. Characteristic gastric and/or duodenal lesions were observed in Type A Crohn's disease, as in typical Crohn's disease, and the identification of these lesions, as well as their histological features, was useful for diagnosis.
