Colitis: radiographic features and differentiation of idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease.

It is important clinically to be able to differentiate ulcerative colitis from Crohn's colitis because they differ considerably in the nature of complications and prognoses. Radiographically, it is possible to render a specific diagnosis in the vast majority of cases using criteria described in this article. The problem of the underlying process in inflammatory bowel disease in elderly patients and indeterminate colitis is also discussed.