Can anyone please help me interpret my colonoscopy results?

[PKA]

Hi everyone. I haven't posted here in a while but I was wondering if anyone could help me interpret my colonoscopy results. I know I should ask my doctor ... I'm trying. They mailed me the report and I've tried for a couple weeks now to follow up and I haven't been able to get anything out of our playing phone tag except that he doesn't want to change any of my medications. In the meantime I wanted some insight.

A little background info ... I've had Crohn's a little over three years. I take azathioprine and occasionally meclizine and dicyclomine as needed for symptoms. I got another colonoscopy not because I got sicker, but just because my doctor thought it was time for another to keep tabs on it.

Here's what it says:

“Transverse colon biopsies: minimal chronic colitis
Descending colon biopsies: chronic active colitis
Sigmoid colon biopsies: chronic active colitis

Microscopic Examination:
Transverse colon biopsies show benign mucosa with prominent lymphoid aggregate. There are minimally increased numbers of chronic inflammatory cells with a few crypts showing a few neutrophils although this is very minimal.

The descending colon biopsies show more inflammation, with areas of active colitis including cryptitis. The inflammation is predominantly chronic but there are focal areas demonstrating active inflammation and, as noted, cryptitis. No definitive granulomas are seen.

Sigmoid colon biopsies also show areas of active colitis with neutrophils involving crypts and prominent lymphoid tissue.”

I get the gist of it I suppose, but I am unsure about some of the medical terms. Also it sounds worse than I expected (I thought my Crohn's was mostly controlled) … though maybe it's less scary than it sounds? Can someone explain this in layman's terms please? Thank you!

 

[buttER]

Hi PKA
An -itis is inflammation. Think otitis (ear infection), appendicitis etc. So colitis means inflammation of the colon. Cryptitis means inflammation of the crypts, part of the normal structure of the membrane tissue of the intestine.
The descriptions you have given us are from the biopsy results (miscroscopic) so I don't know if they match the colonoscopy results as in what was seen through the camera.
The inflammation is in your transverse, descending and sigmoid: that means, in the middle and end of your large colon, i.e. the bit that goes across under your stomach and then down your left side.
Immune cells are normally to be found in the colon tissue. Inflammation is seen if you have an abnormal number or pattern of immune cells such as lymphocytes "lymphoid aggregates", and neutrophils.
I don't know how the pathologist distinguishes between active and chronic disease.
By the way, I had lympoid aggregates in my biopsies and that was considered within the normal range.
I hope that helps a bit.
I hope your doctor can help you with any questions.

 

[PKA]

Hi, thank you for responding. Yes, this was the microscopic results. I was told that from what they saw during the actual colonoscopy (like through the camera) was inflammation in the sigmoid colon but that everything else looked okay. Of course, when they told me that I was still loopy from the sedation. Pretty sure that's correct though.

I hope I have a normal number of “lymphoid aggregates” too. That was probably the scariest sounding thing I read. Hopefully my doctor gets back to me soon.