Proctitis
Proctitis refers to inflammation of the lining of the rectum (rectal mucosa) it may be acute or chronic. When is involves the rest of the wider colon, it is then termed proctocolitis.
Clinical presentation
Proctitis may have a range of clinical symptoms including:
- rectal bleeding
- rectal discharge
- fecal urgency
- painful defecation
- tenesmus
- crampy lower abdominal pain
Pathology
Etiology
Proctitis may result from number of pathologies
- infection - infective proctitis
- gonococcal proctitis
- syphilitic proctitis
- viral
- CMV proctitis
- ischemia - ischemic proctitis
- radiation - radiation proctitis
- fecal impaction - stercoral proctitis
Radiographic features
CT
Usually tends to show diffuse thickening of the rectum
Differential diagnosis
Possible differential considerations include
- diffuse colonic malignancy affecting the rectum
- rectal lymphoma
- diffuse adenocarcinoma of rectum
See also
