Radiologic spectrum of polypoid lesions in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

Various types of polypoid lesions are found in patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. True adenomatous polyps are rare. In addition to the sessile or pedunculated "pseudopolyps" of inflammatory bowel disease, the lesions may also assume a filiform shape or reach a giant size. These polypoid lesions are inflammatory in nature and therefore have no malignant potential. Awareness of the benign nature of these lesions is important in the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Unnecessary surgery may be prevented by endoscopic biopsy for confirmation of their inflammatory nature. Representative cases illustrate the ability of the double contrast technic to clearly depict these polypoid lesions.