The Pathology of Ulcerative Colitis

SUMMARYThe initial lesion in ulcerative colitis, whether in the large bowel or small, seems to be congestion and oedema of the submucosa followed by ulceration in a characteristic pattern. Deep ulceration is characteristic of the acute form, while in chronic ulcerative colitis the ulcers are superficial to the muscularis mucosae. While the patterns are characteristic, there is often some degree of overlap and, indeed, one variety can be converted into the other.