LAUSR

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, are at an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. It is well accepted that this risk increases after 8–10 years of disease duration. Patients should be offered a surveillance colonoscopy after this time. Previously, white-light endoscopy with random biopsies every 10 cm was undertaken for surveillance, but recent evidence suggests that chromoendoscopy along with targeted biopsy is superior to this and the other available methods. This article reviews the available evidence for IBD surveillance, surveillance guidelines and the evidence for chromoendoscopy. Additionally, an overview of the assessment, reporting of any visible abnormal lesions and management of subsequently proven dysplastic lesions is given.