Rectal Mucosal Blood floow in Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of colonic mucosa and its pathogenesis remains unknown. Mucosal blood flow was measured by an electrolytic flow meter under colonoscopy with a sensor in the rectal mucosal layer of ulcerative colitis patients and healthy control subjects. We evaluated the effect of ulinastatin (UST) on blood flow in patients with ulcerative colitis. In the active stage of ulcerative colitis, the rectal mucosal blood flow was decreased compared with that of the healthy control subjects but it improved after venous injection of UST and predonisolone. These data indicate that microcirculatory disturbances may be involved in ulcerative colitis.