Morphometric Analysis of Intestinal Mucosa: The Measurement of Volume Compartments and Cell Volumes in Human Intestinal Mucosa

The widespread use of peroral (capsule) and, more recently, endoscopically obtained mucosal biopsies from jejunum and duodenum provides an easy source of material for diagnostic (clinical) and investigative scientific study. The basis of our understanding of small intestinal diseases has stemmed directly from these sources since, in addition to the purely morphological (and pathological/immunopathological) domain, these biopsies have helped to elucidate other types of mucosal disease (e.g., the “disaccharidase” deficiencies, defects in water and electrolyte transfer, and amino acid transport and lipid metabolism).