Abstract
Resected specimens of the ulcerative colitis were cut up continuously from the anal part to the oral. The serial blocks were dyed with alcian blue or hematoxylin, and examined dissecting-microscopically and histologically. Result: (1) Morphological characteristics of the following subjects were described: erosion, ulceration, villous protrusion, inflammatory polyp, colonic pseudoarea. (2) An erosion and small ulceration have become distinguished. In the surrounding mucosa of erosion or ulcer, namely the mucosa in active stage, blue spots which consisted of goblet cells stained with alcian blue were found decreased under the dissecting microscope. (3) Around the erosion or ulcer, finger-like or hemispherical protrusions were sometimes found. The author has named it the "villous protrusion". The protrusion appeared to be composed of the regenative epithelium covering the granuration. This form appeared in the comparatively early stage of regeneration. (4) The surface structure of the inflammatory polyp varied from the nearly normal to the distinctively deformed structure. But it was in most cases possible to distinguish the inflammatory polyp from the adenoma or the metaplastic polyp. (5) The mucosal surface was found that looked like the subdivided normal colonic area. The author has named it the "colonic pseudoarea". This colonic pseudoarea was accompanied by disarrangement of glands and changes of muscularis mucosa. If the surrounding mucosa of erosion or ulcer shows pseudo-area, it is suggested that the lesion is recurrent. (6) Ulcerative colitis can be said histologically and dissecting-microscopically to be an inflammatory process of the mucosa involving the rectum and a variable length of colon in continuity with the rectum. (7) This method is useful for the morphological study of ulcerative colitis with main lesion in the mucosa. Furthermore the results of dissecting microscopic study are applicable to interpreation of magnifying endoscopy in the ulcerative colitis.
