Does granular mucosa of the terminal illeum always mean chrones/colitis or can it mean something else?
The microscopic finding of granular mucosa on biopsy specimens of the alimentary canal (GI tract) is a nonspecific finding. It is not pathognomonic for any specific disease entity; i.e., it does not diagnose Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis (UC) nor for that matter any specific bowel disorder. Infectious and non-infectious inflammatory conditions of the bowel mucosa are the cause of granular changes. Therefore a fairly broad spectrum of conditions result in this finding. Biopsies are used to confirm or exclude the presence of these entities not make the diagnosis. The diagnosis of either UC or Crohn’s Disease is based on a number of factors to include: 1. Clinical presentation. 2. The presence or absence of bloody diarrhea. 3. The presence of absence of fistulae of the bowel. 4. Endoscopic findings. 5. Radiographic findings. 6. Biopsy findings. Listed here are some fairly common conditions in which granulomas or granular mucosa were found in the stomach (not terminal ileum) in a stu
