Superficial lesions in Crohn's disease of the small bowel.

Double-contrast examinations of the small bowel were compared with operative specimens obtained within 4 weeks after X-ray evaluation of 20 patients with Crohn's disease. Objective evidence of superficial lesions was submucosal edema and superficial ulcerations observed in the operative specimens. Edema was seen radiographically in 18 of 20 patients. Superficial ulcerations were seen radiographically in 8 of 14 patients. These ulcerations were either single with edematous edges or smaller, multiple, and more uniformly spread. The diagnosis demands a high-quality technique and even then the diagnostic accuracy is not always optimal.