The significance of the fine network pattern of the normal colonic mucosa in the radiographic diagnosis of ulcerative colitis

On the surface of the normal colonic mucosa, there are numerous shallow grooves running circumferentially and roughly parallel with each other with occasional interlockings. They are about the half of the mucosa propria in depth. The grooves themselves and areas demarcated by them are seen only on the normal colonic surface, but not in the segment involved in a pathological process. The authors have succeeded in demonstrating radiographically the fine network pattern of the colonic mucosa by improving the methods of preparation and the physical nature of barium mixture, together with improvements in the double contrast technique itself. In this paper, the significance of the fine network pattern of the colonic mucosa in the diagnosis of mild ulcerative colitis is discussed