Abstract
Symptoms referable to the colon call for a precise investigation. Benign colonic lesions mimic malignant neoplasms, and vice versa. There is a trend toward more aggressive management of benign diseases of the colon. Examples are ulcerative colitis and diverticulitis. A factor contributing to this trend is the improved technic of constructing an ileal stoma. There is evidence of a shift away from the concept that colonic polyps are invariably premalignant.