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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staff
Tests and procedures used to diagnose collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis include:
- Testing a sample of your stool. Your doctor may ask you to collect your stool for laboratory testing. This can help rule out an infection, which can also cause persistent diarrhea.
- Using a scope to examine inside your colon. Your doctor may use a long, thin tube with a camera on the end to examine the inside of your colon. If the tube is used to view your entire colon, the procedure is called colonoscopy. Using the tube to see only the lower portion of your colon is called flexible sigmoidoscopy. People with collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis have normal-appearing colons.
- Collecting a sample of colon tissue for testing. During a colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy, the doctor can pass special surgical tools through the tube to collect one or more small samples of colon tissue. The tissue is tested in a laboratory to look for signs of disease.
References
- Wald A. Other diseases of the colon and rectum. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisinger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookHome&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&uniq=200844987-3. Accessed Aug. 31, 2010.
- Collagenous colitis and lymphocytic colitis. National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/collagenouscolitis/index.htm. Accessed Aug. 31, 2010.
- Dietrich CF. Lymphocytic and collagenous colitis (microscopic colitis). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 1, 2010.
- Tangri V, et al. Microscopic colitis: An update. Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 2009;43:293.
- Chande N, et al. Interventions for treating microscopic colitis: A Cochrane Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Functional Bowel Disorders Review Group systematic review of randomized trials. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2009;104:235.
- Nutrition therapy for diarrhea. Nutrition Care Manual. American Dietetic Association. http://nutritioncaremanual.org/index.cfm. Accessed Sept. 2, 2010.
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