ABSTRACT
In previous chapters the diagnostic pictures of individual entities have been described. Here, the differential diagnoses are considered in the form of a problem on the pathologist’s desk. This is usually a rectal biopsy accompanied by a clinical request form which queries inflammatory bowel disease, simply states that the patient has diarrhoea or is devoid of all information. However, it is important to know whether one is looking at a first biopsy or a follow-up as this influences the interpretation. Colonoscopic series are seldom the first challenge and are more likely to follow an initial rectal biopsy.
