Crypts in Asymmetric Branching in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis in Remission

Background/Aim: To report the frequency of crypts in asymmetric branching (CAB) in biopsies from all colorectal segments in patients with ulcerative colitis in remission (UCR). Patients and Methods: Biopsies in 100 UC patients were investigated: 50 with UCR and 50 with ongoing long-lasting UC (LLU; i.e., controls). Results: The frequency of CAB was significantly lower in UCR than in LLUC, both in the right colon and left colorectum. CAB frequency was not influenced by two important confounders: the age and sex of patients. Conclusion: CAB is a pathologic aberration of colorectal cryptogenesis evoked by chronic mucosal inflammation. When chronic inflammation waned in UCR, the production of CAB plummeted or ceased. Chronic inflammation and protracted disease-duration in LLUC increase the risk for colorectal dysplasia or carcinoma. Importantly, dysplastic CAB were recently detected in LLUC-associated dysplasia. Whether the abrogation of CAB is instrumental in reducing the neoplastic risk in UCR patients, deserves further investigation.