ABSTRACT
Infl ammatory bowel diseases (IBD) affect one person out of 1000 in Europe and are increasing in many countries. They encompass several diseases with cryptogenetic and chronic infl ammation of parts of the intestinal tract, the two major being ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease (Ordás et al. 2012; Baumgart and Sandborn 2013). Ulcerative colitis (UC) affects the rectal and colonic mucosa. One third of the patients have only rectal disease (proctitis), one third distal colitis (downstream the splenic fl exure of the colon) and one third extensive (sometimes total) colitis. Some patients have proctitis associated with localized periappendicular infl ammation (at the other end of the colon), and some patients with pancolitis may
1 Université Paris 7 et AP-HP Hopital Laribboisière, service de gastroentérologie, 2 rue A. Paré 75010 Paris, France.
