Granular small bowel mucosa: a reflection of villous abnormality.
Diffuse mucosal granularity was reported recently in small bowel Crohn's disease. The radiographic appearance corresponded on histopathologic examination to villous hypertrophy, fusion, or epithelial bridge formation. We have observed similar granularity in Crohn's disease but also in several other conditions, including radiation enteritis, pancreatic glucagonoma, protein-losing enteropathy, and small bowel ischemia. Histopathologic examination demonstrated various alterations in villous morphology, such as edema, hyperplasia, clubbing, or fusion. In Crohn's disease, this appearance was sometimes an indication of early inflammatory disease but was also seen following extensive small bowel resection, possibly due to villous enlargement resulting from intestinal adaptation. These findings suggest that granular mucosa in the small bowel is a nonspecific finding reflecting an alteration in villous structure.
D000328:Adult; D001466:Barium Sulfate; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005935:Glucagonoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000098:blood supply; D007511:Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011504:Protein-Losing Enteropathies / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011859:Radiography; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects
D001466:Barium Sulfate