Cobblestoning soft palate lesion: case report of a difficult diagnosis

Oral lesions are often the first sign of an Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Oral manifestations are not always accompanied by intestinal inflammation’s symptoms. For this reason, many times, ENT specialist is the first doctor who receives the patient. Diagnosis and treatment of the patients affected by IBD associated with several extra-intestinal manifestations requiring a multidisciplinary management. Endoscopic examination allows us to diagnose the disease but non-invasive markers of intestinal inflammation, like fecal calprotectin, may be used to select which patients need to undergo endoscopic examination; thereby avoiding unneces- sary investigations. The therapeutic choice, currently available, to treat oral lesions associated with IBD includes topical or systemic corticosteroids, immunosuppressive agents, and biologic drugs