Gastrointestinal Pathology in the Older Adult

This chapter is aimed at acquainting the clinician with pathological aspects of gastrointestinal disorders. The chapter offers an overview of the pathology of diverse disease entities that are likely to be encountered in the geriatric population. The technological advances that now provide nearly unlimited direct access to tissues via endoscopy and endoscopic ultrasound throughout the digestive system for diagnostic sampling have made familiarity with pathological diagnosis an indispensable part of health-care delivery. The image-based format of this chapter provides the clinician a broad but easily digestible overview of the essential gross and microscopic pathological features of entities involving the entire gastrointestinal system, including hepatobiliary disorders, utilizing classical illustrations that are readily reviewed and retained.