Endoscopic and histologic findings in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an increasingly important cause of gastrointestinal pathology in children. Approximately 25% of IBDs present before the patient is 20 years of age. Accurate diagnosis and differentiation between Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is important in planning treatment strategies, particularly in children. Endoscopy, which allows direct visualization of gastrointestinal mucosa and biopsy of multiple sites, is an integral part of this diagnostic process. Although no endoscopic lesion is pathognomonic of IBD, certain features are highly suggestive of either CD or UC. In this article, we review and attempt to correlate endoscopic and histologic findings in IBD that have particular emphasis on the pediatric population.