Díaz-Moya EO, Chávez-García MÁ, Manrique MA, Hernández-Velázquez NN, Pérez-Corona T, Pérez-Valle E, Gómez-Peña-Alfaro NS, Espino-Cortés H, de León GB

Language: Spanish
References: 19
Page: 90-95
PDF size: 180.40 Kb.

ABSTRACT

Introduction. The endoscopic assessment of colonic mucosa supplemented with biopsy can be very useful in the study of patients with chronic diarrhea. Its value in practice has not been widely explored. Objective. To determine the usefulness of routine colonoscopy with biopsy in the evaluation of patients with chronic diarrhea. Material and methods. Patients with chronic diarrhea (stool consistency decreased and increased frequency of more than four weeks duration) were studied by making systematic colonoscopy and biopsies for histopathological analysis even with normal-appearing mucosa. We excluded those diagnosed with HIV-AIDS, after colon surgery, known inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, anemia or significant unintentional weight loss. Results. 37 patients, 20 patients (54.05%) female and 17 male patients were included. An average age of 48 years (16-76). Colonoscopies with abnormal findings (15) 5 cases of colon polyps, 3 cases of specific colitis, 3 cases of inflammatory bowel disease, diverticular disease 2, a case of stenosis of one of colon and malignant neoplastic lesion suggestive found. There were 22 patients with normal endoscopic image and biopsies were taken. In 2 cases (9%) histology was normal. In 12 cases (54.5%) nonspecific histologic abnormalities (chronic nonspecific colitis) that were not considered clinically significant were reported. In 8 (36.3%) cases were reported significant histopathological changes. Conclusion. Colonoscopy in the study of patients with chronic diarrhea allows to establish the etiologic diagnosis in 43% of patients. The biopsy systematically even in the presence of macroscopically normal mucosa, is justified because it allows to establish the histologic diagnosis in 36% of cases.

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