Endoscopy Learning Library
The role of endoscopy in Crohn's disease located to the upper gastrointestinal tract
Salvatore Oliva, Salvatore Cucchiara
1UOC di Gastroenterologia ed Epatologia Pediatrica, Dipartimento di Pediatria e Neuropsichiatria Infantile, La Sapienza, Università di Roma
Upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease has become increasingly recognized, even in the absence of specific localizing symptoms, as children more frequently undergo upper endoscopy according to the recent Porto criteria. Pediatric data suggest that upper endoscopy is useful in differentiating CD from ulcerative colitis, when inflammation is otherwise predominantly confined to the colon; however, this question has yet to be studied in adults. Infliximab therapy for upper GI-CD seems as effective as that seen for more distal GI inflammation.