I recently received my biopsy report in the mail. When my GI called me all they said was that I showed microscopic colitis, lymphocytic pattern throughout. This report says a couple of other things I'm hoping one of you understand.
Fragments of colonic mucosa presents basically normal architecture but show a modest generalized increase in the inflammatory cell population of the lamina propria which is slightly shifted toward acuity. What does acuity mean in this sentence? Shifted?
The immediately subjacent lamina propria is slightly pink and prominent? Shouldn't it be pink?
Shows only slight, nondiagnostic subepithelial collagen table thickening. Can this worsen?
Pathology Report questions
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Renee wrote:What does acuity mean in this sentence?
That's doctorspeak for severity of a condition or illness with regard to need for treatment. IOW, I would interpret "shifted toward acuity" to mean that the inflammation due to lymphocytic infiltration in the lamina propria is severe enough to justify treatment. "Inflammatory cell population" refers to the white cell (lymphocyte) count in the lamina propria.MC typically shows normal architecture (normal crypts, etc.). Crohn's and UC show architectural changes.
To be honest, I have no idea what the color of the lamina propria should normally be but I suspect that it should probably be pretty much neutral (unpigmented). An elevated lymphocyte population would surely make it appear to be pink. The upper layer (the epithelium) of the mucosal lining of the colon is normally pink, but the lamina propria is the layer below the epithelium.
The phrase "Shows only slight, nondiagnostic subepithelial collagen table thickening" means that the collagen bands are thicker than normal, but not thick enough for a diagnosis of collagenous colitis. Normally, collagen bands do not exceed 5 to 7 microns (micrometers) in thickness. To meet the criterion for a CC diagnosis requires that the collagen band thickness of 1 or more biopsy samples must meet or exceed 10 microns. And yes, this can change as the disease matures. Untreated, the collagen bands may continue to thicken. In some cases they can exceed 30 or 40 microns in thickness. But they will slowly shrink back to normal with proper treatment (resolution of the inflammation).
Everyone who has CC also has LC (but they only mention CC as the diagnosis of choice), but not everyone who has LC has CC. Your collagen bands were not thick enough to qualify for a CC diagnosis, so the pathologist called it LC.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.