Long-term follow-up for minute gastroduodenal lesions in Crohn's disease.

Endoscopic examination of the stomach and duodenum was carried out in 12 consecutive cases of Crohn's disease involving the small and large intestine. Minute lesions consistent with Crohn's disease were endoscopically discovered in the stomach in nine cases (75%) and in the duodenum in five cases (42%). The characteristic endoscopic features of these minute lesions included patchy erythema, aphthoid erosion, and a verrucous change. Epithelioid cell granulomas in the serial sectioned samples were discovered in the stomach in 10 cases and in the duodenum in four cases.