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Acute and Chronic at same time? What does path report mean?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/10/2017 5:46 AM (GMT 0)
It seems like a contradiction: "prominent mixed acute and chronic inflammation with moderate architectural glandular distortion; consistent with active chronic colitis"

Past biopsies have all noted "active chronic colitis". The only change was that it was in the transverse once which led to a possible diagnosis of Crohn's, but my current GI says not. The samples are from the sigmoid and descending.

At the end: "No glandular dysplasia is identified." What is glandular dysplasia versus distortion? Sounds similar to me!

But then I thought the sigmoid and descending were the same thing. (I should have taken human anatomy when I was in school.)

Ups and downs. Ups and downs and downs. Never remission. It's about time.
Posted 3/10/2017 12:19 PM (GMT 0)
It's not unusual for a biopsy report to say "acute" and/or "chronic" changes. You have one or more lab technicans looking at a single biopsy slide and based only on that slide saying whether they think it's chronic or accute changed. As certain biopsy samples may not yet show architectural changes.

Distortion means a permanent architectural change to the cells within the large intestine. When cells develop in a chronic inflammed environment they develop weird adaptations like really thick cell walls, weird gaps between cells, and the cell inards might be arranged weird. These distortions are perfectly normal for an IBD patient and are of no concern.

Dysplasia means pre-cancerous changes to cells. Fortunately you had no dysplasia (only 3 percent of UC patients get cancer). Every report will note whether or not cancer was found.
Posted 3/10/2017 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
It's possible to have acute and chronic inflammation at the same time - they're basically different types of inflammation. In a nutshell accute inflammation is the early, rapid stage of inflammation and chronic inflammation is the later, more chronic stage of inflammation - chronic inflammation can go on for weeks, months or years.

It's kinda technical but this sums up the difference in a handy table form.

/virtualmedic.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/differences-between-acute-and-chronic-inflammation.pdf
Posted 3/10/2017 3:15 PM (GMT 0)
what a great table!
Posted 3/11/2017 4:34 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you iPoop and NCOT! I had a feeling I might get expert answers to my question. I don't mind the technical stuff; I think it helps to understand.

Now that I know what it is, and where, it's time to try to heal it. I'm hoping my doc will smile upon cortenema and that it will reach the whole left side.
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