Multifocal stenosing ulceration of the small intestine.

Several reports have described an apparently uncommon clinicopathological disorder that is characterized by multifocal stenosing small-intestinal ulceration. Compared to Crohn's disease, the ulcers are not transmural and typically remain shallow, and involve only the mucosa and submucosa. The disorder seems to be localized in the jejunum and proximal ileum only, and not the distal ileum or colon. Only nonspecific inflammatory changes are present without giant cells or other typical features of granulomatous inflammation. Most patients present clinically with recurrent obstructive events that usually respond to steroids, surgical resection, or both. With the development of newer imaging modalities to visualize the small-intestinal mucosa, such as double-balloon enteroscopy, improved understanding of the long-term natural history of this apparently distinctive disorder should emerge.