Endoscopic evaluation in diagnosis and management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Endoscopy is a keystone in the management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It is the fundamental diagnostic tool for IBD, and can help discern between ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Endoscopic assessment provides an objective end point in clinical trials, and identifies patients in clinical practice who may benefit from treatment escalation and may assist risk stratification in patients seeking to discontinue therapy. Recent advances in endoscopic assessment of patients with IBD include video capsule endoscopy, and chromoendoscopy. Technological advances enable improved visualization and focused biopsy sampling. Endoscopic resection and close surveillance of dysplastic lesions where feasible is recommended instead of prophylactic colectomy.