CROHN'S DISEASE PRESENTING CONTINUOUS INVOLVEMENT OF THE COLON : REPORT OF TWO CASES .

Abstract

Two cases of Crohn's disease which was difficult in a differential diagnosis from ulcerative colitis (UC) were presented. Case 1 was a 28-year-old man who complained of frequent diarrhea and anal fistula. Barium enema showed continuous involvement of the colon. Diffuse inflammatory changes were endoscopically detected in the sigmoid colon. Later, the diagnosis of Crohn's disease was confirmed by typical endonscopic features of Crohn's disease such as longitudinal ulcer of the colon and especially of the terminal ileum, and by uneven involvement of the colon shown by barium enema. Case 2 was a 21-year-old man who complained of mucobloody diarrhea. Barium enema showed continuous involvement of the left sided colon. Diffuse inflammatory changes were endoscopically detected in the sigmoid colon. Later, the diagnosis of Crohn's disease was confirmed by the development of anal fistula and typical endoscopic features of Crohn's disease such as longitudinal ulcer and cobblestone appearance. Although both cases were longstanding inflammatory bowel disease and showed some conflicts in symptoms and clinical features, the diagnostic re-evaluation revealed heterogeneous and uneven alterations of the colon, and led to the certain diagnosis of Crohn's disease.