Scanning Electron Microscopy of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

The colonic mucosa of 29 patients with inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and bacillary dysentery were studied by scanning electron microscope. Six control patients and 13 endoscopically normal patients with some intestinal symptoms were studied as well. As far as the moderate and severe cases are concerned, the removal of the mucous on the mucosal surface was attained satisfactorily by using of 5 % pluronic F 68 (surface active agents).
The remarkable findings were deformity of the units, blurring of the furrows, deformity of the epithelial cells, enlargement of the crypts, increase or decrease of the goblet cell number and deformity of microvilli. The severity depending on the changes of microvilli was compatible with ones based on the endoscopical and histological findings. We were able to find the change of microvilli probably due to reproduction in addition to atrophy. No specific findings for each disease were noted as yet.