A 31-year-old woman comes to the physician for a 3-month history of intermittent abdominal pain and frequent episodes of bloody diarrhea. She reports that her symptoms have worsened over the past few weeks, and she now has 6–8 loose bowel movements daily associated with urgency and tenesmus. She also describes mild weight loss and fatigue but denies any recent travel or antibiotic use. Physical examination shows mild tenderness to palpation in the lower abdomen without rebound or guarding. Laboratory studies reveal mild anemia and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. A barium enema is shown. Which of the following is most likely to be seen in this patient?
A) Creeping fat
B) Crypt abscesses
C) Fistulae
D) Noncaseating granulomas
E) Transmural inflammation
