The Presence of Inflammatory Leucocytes in the Rectal Mucus of Patients with Regional Ileitis

Abstract

In 30 patients with Crohn's disease of the small bowel cytological imprints of the rectal mucus were examined. The question was whether the inflammatory process in the terminal ileum was reflected in the rectal mucus by the presence of inflammatory leucocytes. In no patient did the colon show signs of Crohn's disease. By the first diagnostic contact the samples from 2/3 of the patients contained neutrophilic granulocytes and lymphocytes, as distinct from the acellular — or nearly acellular — picture in normal subjects. It is concluded, that a positive test may be an important indicator of organic disease in proximal parts of the gut.

Key-words:

• Ileitis, regional
• intestine, small
• leucocytes