Segmental colitis: so what?

The existence of chronic mucosal inflammation, confined to sigmoid colons that bear diverticula, is termed 'segmental colitis'. This condition often mimicks inflammatory bowel disease at histological examination. The observed rectal sparing suggests a possible form of Crohn's disease, but no other similarities between segmental colitis and Crohn's colitis are detectable. Medical treatment for segmental colitis, empirically carried out with drugs such as sulfasalazine and mesalazine, is mostly successful and, when surgery is required, post-operative recurrences are infrequent. Although the existence of segmental colitis as a true clinical entity remains questionable, it appears unlikely that this condition represents an atypical form of inflammatory bowel disease. Copyright 2003 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins