Histopathology of pseudomembranous colitis.
Pseudomembranous colitis, an uncommon affection following surgery or antibiotic therapy, is characterized by whitish plaques ( pseudomembranes ) attached to the mucosa. Serial sectioning of these pseudomembranes disclosed that each of them was related to a lymphoid aggregate in the submucosa and the lamina propria. A group of glandular crypts overlying the aggregate were dilated by mucus, fibrin, leukocytes, and cellular debris. These contents jutted out of the mucosal surface into the lumen, constituting the stem of the pseudomembrane, and could spread over the surrounding mucosa. Accordingly, a morphologic unit was recognized in pseudomembranous colitis, including the lymphoid aggregate, the dilated glandular crypts, and the pseudomembrane stem.
D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans