In vivo diagnosis of collagenous colitis new diagnostic possibilities

Introduction: The main symptom of collagenous colitis is chronic diarrhrea with unspecific complaints, but normal macroscopic appearance of the colonic mucosa, so endoscopic and radiological investigations have always played a minor role in the diagnostic process. The diagnosis relies on histopathologic examination, characterized by following microscopic features: thickened subepithelial collegen band of >10µm, a intraepithelial lymphocytosis with preserved crypt architecture. The newly developed confocal laser colonoscope allows in vivo endomicroscopy and enabls virtual histology. For the first time the evidenc…