[Role of lower digestive tract endoscopy and biopsy in inflammatory bowel diseases in adults].

The term inflammatory bowel diseases applies to two intestinal diseases (ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) localized to the colon. Clinical, morphological and histological data often point to one or the other of these diseases, but they are not always distinguishable, and intermediate forms classified under one name or the other are numerous. Lower digestive tract endoscopy and biopsies are determinant (1) for the diagnosis, as they provide a precise description of the lesions for each segment and evaluate their severity; (2) to monitor the course of the disease under treatment and detect precancerous lesions.